Here we go again SW style!
by CMXC
Summary: Sequel to A wish for family. Claire and Soltaria are back after a year with more random hilarious moments in the world of Star Wars the Clone Wars! Secrets will be revealed, along with action, humor and... romance? Rex/OC/? paring. Read it to find out!
1. Return to the Adventure

**Chapter 1: Return to the adventure**

_Entry Log: It's been a year since my whole adventure with the SW characters. A lot of things have changed. I mean, I'm 17, going to school, and have been practicing in my vocals and dancing. Unfortunately, I'm still pretty much the loner and I haven't grown much except for an inch. Damn. I miss my SW buddies… Ahsoka… Cody… even pesky Anakin and grumpy old Grievous… but most of all, I miss Rex. I wonder how he is doing now back in his homes? Vigil, that stranger in blue… He said something about Rex and I meeting again. But how much longer do I have to wait just to see my friends again? Winter vacation is arriving soon and I wonder if anything special will happen?_

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Guess who is back earlier than expected! In a brand new sequel with more characters and randomness! XD

Claire: Ok, ok. We get it. Let's just get on with this already…

Soltaria: Don't mind her. She's been waiting for this sequel for days… (Whispers) She misses Rex a lot.

Claire: Soltaria! _

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Anyways, for those who are new to my stories, this is actually the sequel to my previous work: A wish for family. So if you haven't read that yet, please do so before reading this.

Soltaria: Hikaru, who's going to do the disclaimer?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Not me, obviously. I'm the freakin' writer here.

Claire: (Mutters) Lazy bum… (Sighes) xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Domo Arigato! Now let's get to it!

###########

Sitting idly on his throne, Vigil, the Traveller and Watcher of Worlds, watched the many people of Earth live through life in their normal routine of happiness and tragedy. His blue slim and long fingers clasped onto the golden pocket watch in his hands, watching the minutes tick by.

"The time has come… to reunite both friends and foes from two worlds."

Vigil lifted his hand and a long mirror descended from the oblivion sky. A smile formed on his face.

"But first…" He flexed his long wrinkled fingers. "I must seek out **her** guardian."

###########

"Dinner's ready and served!" Soltaria cheerfully.

Her purple hair was tied in a long ponytail, while she wore a white apron and slippers to match the housewife look. I slumped onto my seat as the fresh smell of hard-boiled vegetables and steamed chicken rushed into my nostrils.

"Are we on some healthy diet or something?" I asked.

"Claire-Bear, we need to eat healthily! Otherwise we'll get the runs from all that oily fast food."

"I only like fast food because it's the fastest to finish." I tore a piece of meat from the steam chicken with my fork and knife.

Soltaria sat down beside me, resting her chin on her palm.

"Too much homework?" She asked innocently with a smirk.

"Loads," I replied, stuffing some chicken and vegetables into my mouth.

"Let me guess… Math... English… Chemistry… and Geography?"

I swallowed. "With Literature. I swear the education system has gone nuts on us! Mrs Rudolph wanted us to finish a five-page essay by Thursday!"

"So?"

I frowned. "Today's a Tuesday. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm missing Home-School lessons."

Soltaria squeezed my cheeks lovingly. "Aww… my poor little koochie-koo-baby's all stressed!"

"Soltaria! I'm already **17**!" I snapped, my cheeks flushing red at her random nicknames.

'_First Claire-Bear… and now koochie-koo-baby? What's next? Pumpkins?_'

"Do you keep a list of nicknames for me or something?"

"Yup!" Soltaria grinned goofily, whipping out a purple diary with hearts on the cover. "And that's only name no.34 in my list of 100!"

I was dumbfounded. "What?"

"And I pasted all your lovely kiddie pictures in here too!" Her grin grew wider, and I swore her eyes were glittering. "Isn't that wonderful?"

I was beginning to feel freaked out. "What did you do? Stalk my every move since I wore diapers?"

Soltaria twiddled with her fingers. "Maaaaaaaybe?"

My eye twitched in disbelief at the purple-fetish guardian of mine. Then, her phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello?"

Soltaria idly tapped her fingers on the table while listening to her caller's message.

"Uh-huh…" She mumbled. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh."

I watched her expression change from idle and bored, to surprised and attentive. She suddenly leaned against the table, eyes staring straight at me.

"No way," She said.

I blinked, utterly confused by her reaction to the person on the other line. A smile crept on her face, as if the caller just told her something very interesting.

"Alright, it'll be done right away."

She ended the call and kept her phone away, smiling excitedly at me.

I raised a brow. "What was that all about?"

As if possessed, Soltaria went squealing like some hyper active, crazy fan girl, tossing cushions in the air and jumping around the dinner table. I gave a 'What the Hell' look when she finally simmered down after ten raving mad minutes.

"Claire-Bear! Why didn't you tell me that you met **HIM**?" She exclaimed.

I blinked. "Him who?"

She slapped my cheeks together, grinning at me like an idiot.

"OW!"

"Vigil, silly! The most awesome dude to ever exist!" Soltaria went in a prayer pose, flashing starry eyes. "He's the most popular dude to ever exist in the thousands of dimensions! He's a freakin' super star! My mum and I even built a shrine for him!"

The memory of our promise resurfaced in my head, but I choked at the thought of Soltaria and her mum worshipping him as a hunk. "You're kidding me. I only talked to him for a few minutes and you're going goo-goo-ga-ga already?"

"Talking to him is an even rarer opportunity! Oh, I envy you!" She sighed dreamily.

I was ready to gag. He was just a respected guy, not some Justin Timberlake!

"So they're coming over or what?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Who?"

"The SW characters, who else?" An anime vein popped on my forehead, ready to burst.

Soltaria plainly stared at me, and then began laughing hysterically.

"What are you talking about?" She giggled. "They're not the ones coming over to our world! We're the one going to their world."

I took a few moments to contemplate what she just said, and chuckled.

"Haha, very good joke, Soltaria. For a minute, I thought you were serious about going to the world of Star Wars…"

Soltaria smirked. "Oh, but we **ARE** going."

I stopping chuckling, and my eyes widened as big as saucepans.

"WHAT THE HELL? OH MY- WHAT? WHAAAAAAAAT?" I screamed.

For the next few hours, there were curses, screaming and lots of bewildering Q&A moments. Soltaria had gotten everything of our stuff packed for the trip and I was firing questions and answers at her.

"You mean we're like moving there? Into another world?"

Soltaria dragged our bags down to the basement. "Yup and we're granted the request to actually live there. And Claire-Bear…"

Her face went solemn. "…These kind of requests are never accepted so often."

"You don't even know anything about the world of Star Wars!"

"Relax… I have you as the guide right?"

I was flabbergasted. "I may be into Star Wars, but I'm not THAT into it! I only know some of the characters! Not the whole damn Galaxy and planets in there!"

"That's what friends from that world are for."

"But… what about school? And my life on earth?"

"Any memories of you and I in this world will be erased from every living being capable of storing memory and information. It's the price to pay for such a request."

Her words left me stunned. I had never seen Soltaria so serious in my life. Then again, I don't have many friends and kin left here. So what else do I have left to lose?

"… I guess I can kiss those homework and laborious school days goodbye," I mumbled half-heartedly.

"Nah… If I were you…" Soltaria grinned mischievously. "I had just tear them to shreds and throw them in the air as confetti."

I smirked. "Fine with me. So how are going to do this?"

Once we got our heavy baggage and hand phones, Soltaria raised her hand and closed her eyes as she chanted a spell:

Before we go  
Let's get on with the show  
Tonight's the Night  
When everything will be alright  
So open the Door, open the door…  
To find the world of Star Wars Lore

'_That had to be some last minute spell rhyme she just made up…_' I thought.

In a flash, a swirling purple vortex ripped a hole in mid-air, sucking everything in its path. I gritted my teeth, holding my ground as the wind became violent. Soltaria grabbed my hand and gave me a nod.

"This is it! Are you ready?" She asked.

I gulped at the monstrous portal and hesitantly nodded. Soltaria grinned.

"Okay then! And awaaaaaaaaaay we go!"

She ran recklessly towards the vortex of terror, with the luggage and me in tow. I found myself flying in the air, hitting the ground and dragged along it at the speed she was going. I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed as the vortex sucked us in.

The last thing I heard was Soltaria shouting "Whoo-HOO!"

############

_Jedi Temple, __Coruscant…_

Yoda grumbled uneasily while meditating in a room with his fellow Jedi comrades- Kit Fisto, Obi Wan and Mace Windu.

"What is wrong, Master Yoda?" Kit asked out of concern.

Yoda opened his big eyes and replied reverently, "A great disturbance in the Force, I sense. Coming this way to the Temple, it is."

Upon finishing his sentence, a loud crash was heard outside. The Jedi rushed to the entrance of the temple outside, gasping in surprise as a familiar purple-haired female came in view from a huge crater.

"By the Force…" Obi Wan gaped.

"We're here at last!" Soltaria cheered, jumping in the air.

"Soltaria?"

The girl turned around, grinning and squealing in joy. She ran up to him, pouncing onto the poor bearded Jedi with a fierce hug.

"Obi Wan Kenobi! Boy, am I glad to see you!" She squealed.

"Soltaria- crushing- me!" He gasped.

Soltaria felt herself lifted off Obi Wan by an unseen Force, and landed onto the concrete ground with a thud.

"OW!" She yelped. "Watch it! You big lump of-"

She stopped when she found the stern face of Mace Windu looming over her.

"Eheheh… erm… Hello there."

"Your name. Stranger," He ordered.

"I'm Soltaria Levin, a guardian from Earth moving into this world… Mister, er…" She looked him down from head to toe. "Claire-Bear! Who is this bald gentleman here again?"

Mace's eye twitched at the word 'Bald'. It took Kit and Obi Wan to hold him back from spewing insults, curses and… some words that should never have been spoken out loud.

"Mace, my friend! Please excuse the girl! She had no idea of who you are," Kit tried to pacify the insulted mocha-skinned man.

He soon cooled down, brushing Obi Wan and Kit's arms off.

'_Note to self, never ever__**, ever**__ call him '__**bald**__' again_.' Soltaria mentally noted, while her legs twitched uneasily.

Yoda greeted with a warm old smile. "Good to see you it is, Soltaria. Your friend, Claire Aschlock, is she here?"

"Yeah, probably dragging our bags here…" Soltaria's voice trailed off when she saw only the luggage bags in the crater and Claire nowhere in sight.

"Oh shoot…"

###########

_Somewhere in the city, Coruscant…_

"Damn you, Soltaria!" I cursed under my breath as I climbed out of the tiny crater.

My khaki pants and navy jacket were covered in dirt and tears from the impact. But right now, appearances were the least of my worries. I had to figure out where I was before something else happens.

From the looks of things, Soltaria's spell was botched again when the vortex wind sent me flying off in another direction. Although I clearly remembered holding on tight to her hand, until she got too carried away with the magical joy ride.

My eyes wandered around to find myself in some alley of a city like landscape. I moved closer to the exit and stared at what laid before me. Bright colourful neon signs glowed in the night and buildings towered as high as metal skyscrapers. Ships flew across the skies and aliens and humans roam the city streets. Pubs, Hotels, and the nightlife were all in one whole damn planet. It didn't take me long to find a sign that gave away my location.

"Holy Camoley…" I slapped my cheeks in realization. "…I'm in Coruscant!"

_Ka-ching! Ka-ching! More credits for me!_

I gasped, turning around swiftly to see a green humanoid alien passing by, carrying a sack of golden coins. Did he say that?

A migraine hit me, along with wave of voices rushing into my head.

_Can't afford to be late! Must hurry!_

_Idiot! Get over here already, your dinner over-cooked!_

_Sigh… that lady's cute…_

_Damn it! Totally ruined my day_

I clutched onto my head, dizzy and in pain. Numerous thoughts swam around my head and some that even I couldn't make sense of. I dropped to the ground on my knees, holding back my screams as passer-bys walk on, not even noticing me in their presence. The whole world was spinning out of proportion, becoming disoriented. In pain, I trudged towards some alley way and leaned against the wall.

"Someone… help… me…" I gasped, my fingers clawing onto the wall.

A sharp needle-like pain stabbed through my mind and I felt faint. My legs gave way and I fell to the ground with a thud. The world went dark on me.

#########

Count Dooku's eyes shot wide open. He was meditating when he felt a great disturbance in the Force, so great that it caused a large ripple effect on it. He stood up, took his cape and went to contact the Sith Emperor via holo-com. With a press of a button, the blue static hologram of his master appeared before him.

"My Lord, with all due respect…"

"Cut the long intro!" The Emperor chastised. "I already felt it in the Force! Two beings with great power have arrived into Coruscant."

Dooku twitched at his tone, but ignored it calmly. "Shall I send someone to retrieve the-"

"Boy are you slow! What do you think bounty hunters are for! And you should get some sugar in that old blood of yours! You're walking and even talking slower than ever!" He spat.

Dooku muttered something inaudible, wondering what had agitated the Emperor so badly. "Yes, Master."

The Emperor's head jerked up, and cursed. "Damn. One of them is with the Jedi."

"I'll inform Grievous and Ventress to be on a lookout for this…"

The Emperor smirked darkly. "They'll be able to tell, once they feel their abnormal presence in the Force. Besides, I believe you have all met them before…"

The holo-com transmission ended, leaving Dooku exhausted. A droid approached the Sith lord from the door.

"Master? Are you alright?" It asked.

"Get me a glass. For some reason, I have an urgent need for Premium Black Tea."

##########

_On board the Resolute…_

The clone captain of the 501st legion stared out at the stars shimmering across the twilight galaxy. He took out a certain lucky charm given to him. It was a little stained from the numerous battles he had participated in, but it sure saved him from certain near-death experiences. Just looking at the charm gave Rex that yearning for its owner. He had lost track of time, waiting just for her.

But she never came, and he was beginning to lose hope.

"Claire… Have you forgotten me?" He wondered softly to himself.

Rex found himself immersed in thoughts of the wild, smart-mouthed girl. He could instantly picture her right now.

Her spunky raven hair…

Her always-curious opal eyes…

But most of all, her rare breath taking smile…

"REX!"

Rex stiffened as Ahsoka suddenly came barging into his daydreaming.

"What is it, Ahsoka?" He asked.

She didn't answer, but yanked him away from his spot, shoving through passing Clones and towards a small crowd at the holo-com projector. Ahsoka had positioned him next to Anakin and Plo Koon, who were talking to Obi Wan and Yoda.

"What's the meaning of this, Ahsoka?" He whispered urgently.

"Ssh! Listen."

"Master Yoda, are you saying that two girls just magically 'poofed' up in Coruscant and one of them is on the other side of that planet?" Anakin questioned in disbelief.

Rex's eyes widened at the Anakin. '_Two girls_?'

"Sensed her presence, I do, in Coruscant. Great danger, she may be in." Yoda severely noted. "Find her quickly, we must."

"Or we have to face Soltaria's constant panic-attacks…" Obi Wan looked discreetly to the left and was yanked by the collar by Soltaria.

"But what if she's kidnapped by rapists? And what if she gets hurt? Or worse… what if she gets sold as a slave?" She shrieked.

Rex couldn't believe his eyes. '_Claire is here? In their world?'_

"Soltaria, calm do-"

Obi Wan was whipped in the face by Soltaira's long purple ponytail and was constantly yanked like a rag doll. Cody, who just noticed the crowd, was gob smacked by Obi Wan's predicament as Soltaria's personal punching bag. With enormous strength, the frantic girl threw poor Obi Wan to the ground from side to side. From everyone's view, he was thrashed and owned, enough said.

"And he's supposed to be your commander…" Rex joked to Cody.

"Captain, you seem to be more happier now, what gives?" One of the clones asked Rex.

Cody smirked. "Don't mind him, boys. He's just happy to be finally meeting his girl friend."

All the clones suddenly gathered around Rex, firing numerous questions at the embarassed captain.

"When did you two get hooked?"

"I never knew you were interested in a girl!"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"What's she like?"

"Is she cute?"

Rex was distraught. Had it not been for his helmet, his brothers would have seen the shades of red flooding his cheeks. He glared at Cody.

"S-S-She's not my girlfriend!" He denied the truth.

Ahsoka giggled. "I guess we now know why you were so spaced out for the past few months."

One of the clones then spoke up. "Oh yeah! There was that mission in Naboo! We were camping for the night and Rex fell asleep… muttering something about a girl…"

If girls gossip, then boys tease. Boy, was Rex wishing he could pulverize the clone who blabbered the truth out after that.

"Ok, enough teasing the poor guy now," Cody said.

"So how what's her name, captain?" Boomer, another clone in the group asked.

Rex paused, before whispering lovingly.

"Claire. Her name is Claire Aschlock…"

Everyone went 'Awwww' at the way he said it, much to Rex's embarrassment.

"We should at least sent a few troopers down to scour the city, maybe find a clue on her whereabouts," Plo suggested.

Anakin groaned. "Great. More walking and sleepless nights…"

"Oh quit complaining, Sky Guy! Aren't you excited in meeting our friends again?"

"But why is it that every time they arrive, we always have to go search for someone?"

Plo shrugged. "I guess that's their style of showing up."

"ATTENTION! ATTENTTION!"

Everyone turned around to see the holographic Soltaria with a loud hailer at her mouth. "If you guys do not find Claire…"

Her face darkened and the volume greatly increased.

"… I'LL STALK YOU DOWN AND MURDER YOU ALL! SO MOVE IT YOU, MAGGOTS! MOVE! MOVE! **MOVE**!"

In terror, everyone quickly went to their positions to prepare for their next mission. "Talk about going commando!" Ahsoka remarked.

"And I thought Cody was the strict and commanding one," Rex chuckled, earning a glare from Cody.

Rex had never felt so ready for another mission in his whole life. Despite all that just happened, he can't wait to meet Claire again.

##########

Kit ended the transmission while Yoda and Mace held back the struggling Soltaria with the Force. Obi Wan twitched on the ground, groaning in pain as a medic droid came to tend to him. Kit went to his side immediately.

"Obi Wan! Speak to me! Are you still alive?" Kit asked.

"So… much… pain…" Obi Wan moaned.

"His ribs and left arm were broken, but he'll live. Other injuries only include bruises and a sprained right leg." The medic droid stated, while dapping bacta on him.

"Put me down! Claire's lost and I need to find her!"

"You will not do such a thing in your condition!" Mace ordered.

"Oh shut up! You moron! You son of a (Censored)!"

Mace tightened his hold on the Force, pinning Soltaria down to the ground.

"Calm yourself, you must," Yoda warned. "Otherwise consumed by your anger, would you be."

After a few moments, Soltaria panted and calmed down.

"Worried for Claire, we understand. World is dangerous, we know. So find her, we will."

She stared at Yoda's kind hazel orbs, and slowly nodded.

"But first," Yoda chuckled. "Train you, we must."

Everyone stared at Yoda in shock (and horror), at what he had just proposed.

"Master Yoda! Are you sure it is safe with her?"

"I'm not that hazardous, Macey."

Mace returned a stern glare at her. "It's Mace Windu, for you."

"Learn in the Jedi ways she must, to defend herself against the Sith."

"But she's too old to began the training!" Mace argued.

"Yet, potential in the Force she may have. Which is why, a good teacher she needs," Yoda smirked. "Master Windu."

Mace was utterly displeased. "I am **not** teaching someone who spills insult on others."

"Geez, I'm sorry! Can't you loosen up a little, Macey?"

"When Obi Wan recovers, help you, he can too," Yoda added.

"Brilliant…" Obi Wan winced as the bacta took effect on his wounds.

"So are these Sith the bad guys or something?" Soltaria asked.

Kit shrugged. "Pretty much."

"And if I take this training… not only will I learn super cool Jedi tricks, but also get to help in finding Claire?"

Yoda nodded. "Yes."

Soltaria grinned. "You've got yourselves a deal!"

'_Although Claire would pretty much get jealous and kill me… but heck with it!_'

############

"Oww… my head…" I groaned, upon waking up in a strange room.

"So you've finally decided to wake up, hm?"

I froze and instinctively looked up to see a blue Duros bounty hunter idly sitting on the bed, twirling a gun in his hand. I recognized that voice anywhere.

"Don't bother trying to get up. You'll be tied up here in my custody for now until I get my pay…"

I frowned, looking down to find my body tied to the chair with ropes. Swell, I'm trapped with a badass space mercenary/cowboy wannabe. The bounty hunter walked over to me, bending down to my level with a menacing smirk.

"The name's…"

"Cad Bane?"

He gave a surprised glance to me, and then resumed his usual smirk. "So we have a mind reader here, eh?"

"Nah. You're just famous from where I came from," I said. '_With millions of fan girls who would probably die of joy in my place._'

"I'm flattered."

I rolled my eyes. "Good for you."

His slender blue fingers tipped my chin, forcing me to stare at his red piercing eyes of greed. "Just be glad that the Emperor insisted you to be alive. Otherwise, I can't get my cash."

"Ooh, I'm scared…" I went into mock terror.

"What's your name, then girl?"

"Claire, Claire Aschlock," I stated flatly. On the inside, however, I was shivering from the way he said 'girl'.

Cad Bane chuckled, getting up to his feet. "You got a sharp tongue and a feisty personality…"

He proceeded to the front door and glanced behind his shoulders to me. His dark smirk sent a chill down my spine.

"I like that."

I blinked non-stop even after Cad closed the door, confused and shocked.

'_Did the most badass bounty hunter… just said that he liked my personality?_'

If he didn't have such a big ego, I had probably screamed like most fan girls would. But now wasn't really the best time.

And I realized that I was still tied to the stupid chair. I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Damn it! Why do the most badass and cool characters always leave the hostage tied up?"

Well, it could have been worse…

###########

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: And wow! The first chapter for the sequel is done!

Soltaria: Yay! I get to be a Jedi! :)

Claire: How come I'm the one who is defenseless and gets captured?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well I had to prove to people that you aren't a Mary-Sue.

Claire: All because of that? O_o

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh and er, Claire?

Cad Bane: (Intrudes) There you are!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Your owner's here.

Claire: What the hell? He's NOT my owner!

Cad Bane: (Drags Claire away) Don't even think of escaping again.

Claire: Traitor!

Soltaria: O_O CLAIRE-BEAR!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Okaaaaaaay, while we rescue Claire from Cad Bane, please don't forget to review and (for the last hundredth time) NO FLAMES! XD


	2. To train and tame the madness

**Chapter 2: To train and tame the madness**

_Entry Log: Man! When Vigil promises something, he sure knew how to keep his part of the deal. Still, I can't believe I got separated from Soltaria and landed in Coruscant! And worse, to be kidnapped by the bounty hunter, Cad Bane! That stupid jerk left me tied up in his room and said something about me being his ticket to a fortune of credits. I got a hunch on who hired him, and I'm not sticking around to find out! As for Soltaria… I hope she managed to find the others and not get anyone killed in the process._

Obi Wan: I pity Claire's predicament, but I dare say that Mace and I are in an even worse scenario.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: LOL. I wish you good luck man!

Mace: Hikaru, why did you have to create such a violent character?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Too bad. She was well received by most of the readers who read this story, including my friend who thought of her name. Anyways, Mace… The disclaimer?

Mace: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers.

Rex: (Comes in) Hey guys, what's up?

Obi Wan: Oh nothing, just talking about Soltaria's training and Claire's predicament of getting kidnapped by the notorious Cad Bane.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Who may have some 'evil ideas' on what to do with her.

Rex: (Shocked, then angry) That BANE! I'm gonna stuff laser into his ass if he dare lays a finger on her!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: You can't for now. This is just a 'fourth wall' thing.

Everyone: ????

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: In short, Rex is not going to know about this stuff, until the time comes. Besides, this chapter would be focusing more on Soltaria's training.

Rex: D'oh!

Obi Wan: My condolences.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Relax, Rex! There will be some scenes with Claire… well sort of… not many here, but the next chapter…

Rex: AAaaaarrrggghhh! But you take so long to update!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: So sue me. I'm going to start school pretty soon and I can't always update everyday! (So to my dear readers, please forgive me if I don't update so often in the next few months.)

############

A blue Twi'lek woman entered the training room, approaching Obi Wan from behind. Before she could speak, however, she noticed Soltaria decked in Jedi white robes, a brown belt and boots, training with Mace Windu on the usage of the Force.

"So it is true then, Obi Wan? About the girl becoming a padawan?" She asked.

"After much persuasion from Yoda," Obi Wan smiled.

Aayla Secura smiled back. "To think that she had to become Master Windu's Padawan, of all things…"

"I know, and their relationship is anything but peachy."

"I'm boooooored… how long does this meditating actually take?" Soltaria yawned, waking up from her meditation.

Mace closed his eyes firmly, sitting in a lotus position and replying in a solemn voice. "You must meditate to focus the Force that lies in you…"

"Cut the sage talk and let's just actually DO something!" she whined.

Mace's eyes shot open, slightly irritated. "We ARE doing something, Youngling."

Soltaria pouted. "First of all, I have a name. Soltaria. Let's spell it together! S-O-L-"

"If you don't settle your impatience then you cannot control the Force! You practically can't levitate a single crate at your pace now."

Soltaria snapped, rolled up her sleeves and flexed her fingers, giving Mace a confident look.

"Watch me."

She concentrated on the Jedi before her, mustering her magic powers.

"Rise… Rise… Surprise! Surprise!" She chanted.

In a few moments, a shocked Mace found himself surrounded by a purple glow and levitating from the ground.

"Amazing…" Aayla marveled at the scene.

Obi Wan sighed. "3… 2… 1…"

Suddenly, Mace began spinning out of control and was sent flying in every direction. And with every change in direction, came a knock on his head.

"SOOOOO- Oomph! -OOOOOOOO- OW! Ow! –OOLLLTTAA- Urgh! Ouchie! – RRRRRRII- Yeouch! -IIAAAAA!"

"Oh my GOD! Mace!" Soltaria flustered, trying to make up some chant to stop Mace from further injury. "Stop! Stop! Let him drop!"

In her case however, Mace's bad luck only intensified.

##########

The ethereal being of white sneezed violently while playing chess with Vigil.

"Gesundheit."

"Thank you, Vigil," The great white spirit replied wearily. "But frankly, I thought I heard someone caliing me."

"They always do that on Earth, don't they?" Vigil mused.

"That's what happens when you're a respected God in their world."

###########

Mace sat on a wheel chair with a bandaged head. A glare never left his features as he watched Soltaria resume practice.

"At least she apologized," Aayla said.

Mace just continued to sulk and watched the training proceed with Obi Wan and Kit Fisto taking over the helm under Yoda's orders. Aayla eventually decided to join in, to offer some helpful tips for the new padawan.

Lesson 1: Using the light saber

"Since Mace is injured. I guess we'll teach you how to use the light saber," Kit smiled. "Now press the button on the side of your light saber.

Soltaria did so and a purple rod-like beam shot out.

"This will be you light saber from now, Soltaria," Obi Wan instructed.

Her eyes beamed with delight. "SWEET! And it's my favourite color too!"

"A rare color indeed. The only other Jedi who has the same light saber colour is none other than your supposed master: Mace Windu," Aayla chuckled.

Mace's eye twitched as Soltaria turned to eye him for a moment, glancing at her light saber and then back to him with a goofy grin.

"Macey! Why didn't you tell me you like purple too? It must be destiny for us to meet and be buddies!"

An anime vein popped out of his temple. "We're NOT buddies…"

"Oh come one Macey! Show us some love!"

"Jedi can't have attachments, youngli-"

"Yeah, yeah… Claire-Bear told me about it…" Her voice trailed off, and she began to wail sadly. "CLAIRE-BEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAR…"

Obi Wan sensed her worry, placing a comforting hand on her trembling shoulder. "Soltaria…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Soltaria threw the light saber, sending it spinning and flying in a boomerang fashion around the room. Aayla, Kit and Mace managed to duck, but Obi Wan was the unfortunate one to suffer the slash from the approaching deadly light saber. Kit, Aayla and Mace stared in horror, expecting Obi Wan's brains to spill over. Luckily, the blade only sliced off most of Obi Wan's hair. The top part, especially. Obi Wan raised his hand to touch his newly shaven head.

"Oh my GOD! Obi Wan! I'm so, so, so, so sorry!" She flustered.

"Oh, don't worry. At least you didn't shaved it off completely…" Obi Wan replied casually, despite his close shave with death.

Kit and Aayla turn to Mace's shaved head, and roared with laughter.

Mace sulked. "Haha… very funny…"

"I'm sorry, haha, Mace, my friend! Haha… but that joke, haha… was very funny!"

Kit eventually succumbed to his funny bone and began laughing non-stop. Aayla on the other hand, was rolling on the ground, clutching onto her stomach. Mace just kept a solemn, grouchy face as the lessons continued.

Lesson 2: Summoning the Force

"The most effective way of summoning the Force is through deep concentration and patience, like meditation," Kit cheerfully explained, and leapt into a full lotus position.

"For how long?" Soltaria asked.

"Usually for those experienced in the Force like Obi Wan, Yoda and the other Jedi Knights like myself, we just need to concentrate and let the Force flow with us in a short matter of time. But for beginners it's normal to take it slower."

"Yeah, but for how long?"

Kit shrugged. "Could take hours, or days even."

Soltaria's face paled, and she quickly leapt into a full lotus position. She closed her eyes, and went into full concentration mode. Mace stared at Kit in disbelief.

"How is it that when I try to teach her that, she goes impatient and wouldn't listen to me?" Mace asked Aayla.

"I guess it goes to show that teachers must show patience too," She smiled at Kit and Soltaria.

Mace huffed. "Yeah, but look at where that got Master Kenobi into…"

Obi Wan sighed, as he tried to hide his shaven head with a hood.

"Don't get yourself down like that, Master Windu. You just need to loosen up a little, like Master Fisto over there. He treats everyone as his friend and equal, helps others without demanding anything in return…"

Aayla smiled dreamily. "And his has that ever-charming smile of his to sweep the ladies off their feet."

Mace and Obi Wan blinked at a dreamy Aayla staring at Kit. After a moment of contemplation, Obi Wan finally asked.

"Are you crushing on Master Fisto, Aayla?"

Aayla froze and slowly glanced at the two men, an obvious shade of red flood her aquamarine cheeks. "Wa- What nonsense! Me? Crushing on Kit Fisto? It'll never work out! I mean- He's like an underwater fish person! And I'm just an average Twi'lek woman."

"The clones didn't think that way when you came in strutting and shaking your ass..." Obi Wan muttered to himself, remembering a time when they had a party. Let's just say Aayla got a _little_ carried away from the drinking.

Soltaria soon got bored and began humming a long "Oooommmm…" just to find something to do. Kit opened one eye in curiousity.

"Pardon me, Soltaria, but why do you make that sound?"

A few moments later, she gave no response, and for some reason, grew very silent. Worried, Kit tapped Soltaria's shoulder.

"Five more… minutes… Hmmm…" She mumbled in her sleep.

"Soltaria?"

"No mummy… I don't wanna go to the Angel Academy…"

Surprised, Kit glanced to Obi Wan, who chuckled. "I think she's asleep."

Furious with her lackluster attitude, Mace wheeled his wheelchair over to the sleeping Soltaria and shouted into her ear, "YOUNGLING! WAKE UP! As your Master, I order you to-"

SMACK!

And Mace was sent flying out of his wheel chair, crashing through the wall and smacking at the wall in the next room. Poor Shaak Ti and Yoda were so shocked at the sight of a bleeding and unconscious Mace Windu. But it was nothing compared to the tense atmosphere in the previous room. Obi Wan and Kit stared in shock (and fear) as Soltaria's violent arm slowly retreated back to her sleeping form.

"She's even more violent in her sleep…" Kit murmured in fear.

But Aayla actually grinned. "No offense, but I like this girl already!"

Lesson 3: Different types of Force powers

Thanks to Soltaria's ultimate move, Mace was sent to the healing ward. Hence, Shaak Ti and Yoda decided to invigilate the lessons for the safety of the temple.

"Different types of skills, you will learn from the Force," Yoda sagely instructed to a wide-awake Soltaria. "But control you need, to use it properly."

Yoda concentrated deeply onto a crate on the floor and lifted it in the air, without laying a finger on it. Soltaria gave a blank stare. "No offense Yoda, but I can do that with my magic."

"Ah, but lack of control you have in them, yes?"

Soltaria gave a small-embarrassed nod. Yoda chuckled, raising his crate in the air and sent it flying towards a surprised Obi Wan.

"OBI WAN! Look out!" Soltaria yelled.

With ease, Yoda stopped the crate from smashing into Obi Wan's face. Soltaria gawked at the small, green aged Jedi.

"Once you have control, do this, you can," He explained reverently.

"So I can learn to throw stuff at bad guys without lifting a finger? I can also learn mind-control… heal and stuff?"

"Yes, you can."

Soltaria punched the air in glee. "Yosh! I'm gonna do my best! Master Yoda!"

Obi Wan lowered the crate with the Force and sighed. "You know, Master Yoda, you could have alerted me first, before making me a target bib."

Yoda smiled mischievously. "Very well then, target bib you will be, in next lesson."

Kit patted a greatly shocked Obi Wan. "May the Force be with you, Obi Wan Kenobi."

Yoda nodded to Shaak Ti, who greeted Soltaria with much elegance. "Nice to meet you, youngling."

"Wow… you're very pretty…" Soltaria gaped.

Shaak Ti smiled. "Thank you. You may address me as Master Ti."

Soltaria pouted. "Awww, but I was thinking of a good nickname for you! Oh well, my name is Soltaria Levin."

"Master Yoda has informed about your Force-Sensitive powers. It is rather an honor to meet with one from another world."

Soltaria eyes became teary at the sight of a smiling Shaak Ti. Soon, she started wailing and ran to hug her. "Waaaaaaaaaaahhh!" She wailed.

Shaak Ti was confused. "Soltaria, what is wrong?"

"I'm sorry! But you remind me so much of Claire-Beaaaaaarr!"

Puzzled, Shaak Ti glanced to Obi Wan, who explained.

"Her dear friend, Claire Aschlock was separated from her during their arrival to our world. Yoda sensed her presence in Coruscant."

"But you mentioned those Sith guys too! What if they find her and…"

Soltaria sniffled and Shaak Ti patted her head in comfort. "It is alright, your friend will be safe."

"Rest assured that Anakin and co. are doing their best to find her as we speak."

############

"Stupid damn… big… planet…" Anakin grumbled as he pushed his way through the crowd. "How long are we gonna have to freakin' walk around here?"

"Until we find Claire Aschlock, sir," Rex stated flatly.

"That's the mission Sky Guy," Ahsoka sighed. "And we can't leave without her."

"But the planet is so DAMN HUUUUUUUUGE! It'll take us days, weeks or even months to cover the entire Coruscant!" Anakin whined.

R2-D2 beeped furiously at Anakin, who glowered at the droid in disbelief.

"What do you mean I'm being lazy?"

"Frankly, I think you just can't wait to return to your precious Senator and cuddle up with her," Rex muttered.

Unfortunately, Anakin heard every word he said. "What are you talking about?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease, Sky Guy. Everyone knows that you're crazy about Senator Amidala."

"Snips, you don't even have proof!"

"Then why is it that after the whole Blue Shadow Virus episode in Naboo, the first person you went to check on, was Padme Amidala? And don't lie Sky Guy, I was right in front of her."

The clones began muttering among themselves as the conversation heated up.

"Am I the only one oblivious to everything here?" Anakin demanded.

"Duh." Everyone burst into laughter at a glowering Anakin.

"Hm! Well I guess Rex must be so into this mission because he can't wait to snuggle up to his snotty girlfriend."

Rex stopped laughing, and grew bitterly angry with his commander. "Sir, don't you dare-"

"Oh, so now you're standing up against me for a snot-nosed brat?"

Ahsoka glanced at Anakin and Rex worriedly. "Sky Guy, I don't think you should…"

"What? She's a B**** and a crazy wild one to boot!"

In a flash, Rex socked Anakin on the face and a brawl between a Jedi and Clone began. The clone troopers began cheering while R2-D2 beeped wildly, trying to stop the fight as a crowd gathered. But alas, the poor droid was being swept away by the crowd. Ahsoka clasped her aching forehead in distraught.

"Guys! Stop it! You're making a scene!"

However, no one listened to her, and young padawan decided to let them blow off steam by punching each other to the end. It was then, she noticed R2-D2 to have disappeared from sight.

"Oh man… Not another one…" She lamented.

##########

I woke up to the untying of ropes and gazed down to find a small robot helping me out of the chair.

"Miss, it is time for dinner," the droid said.

I gave a short nod, still sleepy from my nap. I was sure that Bane had left me here hours ago for some other bounty to get. He didn't say much about why his employer needed, except that it was for something big and important. My 'Separatist Big Plan alert' senses were tingling big time from his cryptic tone. I gritted my teeth at the thought of that bounty hunter jerk.

'_Cad Bane is seriously No.3 on my most-hated enemies list._'

Why No.3? Well, it's because No.2 was reserved for the cowardly Nute Gunray, while No.1 was for the most evil Emeperor of idiots.

Dinner wasn't much, although I swore Bane got it from the cheapest store judging from its plain cold chicken taste and repulsive smell.

'_He sure was a cheapskate!_' I thought, after finishing my meal. '_I need to find a way to escape this room._'

The only good news was that I wouldn't be shipped away until Bane's ship was repaired and refueled. So that meant that I still have time to plan my escape. As I sat down, the droid proceeded to tying me up again, but I had other ideas. I raised my foot in the air, kicking the droid off before he could secure me to the chair. Before the droid could escape, I snatched it from the ground and shoved it into the closet, jamming the lock on it with a knife from the table. Once the droid was taken care of, I headed to the door quickly and reached out for the doorknob.

Just as my hand was inches away from it, a thought slurry thought struck through my head. '_Damn… finally back… I could use some rest now…_'

I was unsure why Bane's voice echoed in my head, but it didn't mattered when the doorknob turned and the door creaked open ominously. I backed away as I met face to face with the Duros bounty hunter. His red goggle-eyes narrowed suspiciously at my shaken form.

'_Shit! Shit! Shit!_' I cursed mentally as he closed the door and sauntered towards me like a predator on the prowl.

"Why aren't you tied up, girl?" He leered.

I began to stutter. "Erm… I-I… Aah…"

The banging from the closet alerted Bane and he nonchalantly surveyed the lock and the knife stabbed into it. He turned to me, eyeing me curiously.

"Did you do this?" He asked.

I bit my lip and nodded. "Yeah."

Bane flashed a sly smile, showing a hint of his fangs, which sent chills down my spine.

'_Hmm, the girl's getting more interesting… Maybe I can make use of her for a better price…_'

Without thinking, I glared at him. "How dare you! I'm not some toy you can just sell to someone!"

Bane cast a surprised stare at my direction. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

I was stunned, clasping my hands to my mouth. '_He didn't say it? But how could I have heard-_'

Bane smirked. "So you do have some Force powers in you."

He stepped forward and leaned dangerously near to me, tipping my chin with his finger. "Mind-reading Force powers indeed…"

I flinched, and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I spat.

Instantly, I regretted my words when Bane's face contorted into one of anger. He grabbed hold of my wrists and pinned me to the wall. I yelped in pain, while Bane neared his lips to my ear.

"You don't give orders to me… girl…" He crooned.

I shuddered as he pressed his cold lips against my neck, followed by more long kisses trailing from my neck to my right shoulder. I struggled and thrashed but found it useless when I felt something sharp and made of metal poking at my back from behind.

"If you keep struggling, I'll silence you for good."

I felt panic rise in me. "But you said that your employer wanted me alive!"

Bane pressed the sharp object closer to my back. "A few scars won't hurt… and I have some sedative and pain drugs to make it a whole lot worse."

Being at a disadvantage, I stopped struggling. He turned me around and grabbed hold of my chin. His breath reeked of alcohol. "Now…" His face neared mine slowly. "…Where were we?"

I made a look of repulsion. "I had rather kiss a wookie…"

Bane slapped me hard across the cheek, and I fell onto bed next to us. I held my stinging cheek in shock as I felt his arms slither around my waist.

"Shh…" Bane whispered huskily, holding me close to his chest.

'_This cannot be happening! This cannot be happening!_'

The drunken bounty hunter easily overpowered me, and I needed a fast solution out of this. But it's kind of hard to think when Bane's hands were practically moving around my whole body and his lips won't stop planting dirty wet kisses all over my face. The smell of alcohol flooded my nose. My whole body was trembling in damn fear. I didn't want to get raped by some alien!

"No… stop it… please…" I pleaded.

Bane ignored my words and pressed his lips roughly against mine. I was stunned by the kiss, remembering how Rex used to kissed me so passionately back then. It would have been an astonishing moment, if Bane wasn't so intoxicated and had decided to grab my ass with his free hand. My eyes shot open, and I glared. That was the last and FINAL straw.

"Get your hands off my ass!" I screeched.

Bane was taken by surprise by my sudden fierceness and I saw a window of opportunity. With a swift kick, I hit him below the belt and he fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Bane finally slipped into unconsciousness and I ran out of the room in full speed. I did hear one last thought, but it was so perverted that I had to push it out of my mind. _'Men…' _I scowled mentally.

"That was way too close!" I panted as I ran through the hotel and down the streets. All I had to do now was find one of my 'friends' and contact Soltaria.

Contact…

Then I remembered my phone.

#########

Soltaria's phone rang while she was concentrating on lifting a crate, only to have it spin out of control and slam onto Obi Wan for the fifth time.

"I think I have broken another rib… ow…" Obi Wan groaned as Aayla helped him up.

"Claire-Bear?"

Everyone rushed towards Soltaria upon hearing about her friend. Soltaria felt so relieved. "You're alright! Oh my goodness, did you get hurt? Where the heck are you?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm in the some city… Coruscant…" Claire whispered on the other line. "Where are you, Soltaria?"

"In the Jedi Temple, with Obi Wan and Yoda! Claire! I'm learning to be a padawan here!" She excitedly added.

"What the- I- you… Never mind! Anyways, I need a way out of here and fast!"

"Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex are looking for you right now! Don't move from there do you understand?" Soltaria said.

"Please hurry! It's bad enough that I'm being chased by… Oh shoot! That jerk is here!"

"Claire? Claire-Bear?"

"I gotta go! He's coming after me, and he won't stop until I'm caught and he gets his pay!" With that, the line was cut off.

"What? Hello? Claire-Bear!"

Shaak Ti gazed at her, full of concern. "Is your friend in trouble?"

Soltaria gulped, clutching her hand phone near her heart. "Yeah, but I don't understand why someone would be after her…"

"Who?" Kit asked.

"She said… something about catching her… and a payment…"

Obi Wan gruffed as he got up. "So that bounty hunter has returned…"

Soltaria grabbed his shoulders and shook them. "Please! You guys have to save her!"

The Jedi nodded. "We will."

###########

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Whoo! Another Chapter done!

Rex: (Seething with anger)

Ahsoka: Errrr… Hikaru? I think he's going to kill someone.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh ok. (Hands Rex a Cad Bane punching bag)

Rex: ! (Rips it to shreds)

Everyone: o_O

Soltaria: I can't blame him. You just had to put such a perverted scene of Claire and Cad Bane.

Claire: T^T I feel so… violated…

Anakin: (Reads scene again, and nose bleeds)

Cad Bane: Well it was… (Smirks)… enjoyable.

Claire: o_O What the hell? Get away from me!

Rex: That's it! (Takes out giant laser machine gun)

Anakin: O_O Rex… where did you get that?

Rex: Got it at a real good price to get rid of lechers like you guys.

Anakin: Erm… Rex… We're buddies right?

Rex: (Cocks gun)

Anakin: o_O Oh hell…

Cad Bane: My suggestion? Run first and talk later.

Rex: (Chases after screaming Anakin and CB with laser machine gun) Suck LASEEEEEEEER!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Anyways, please review and no flames! Cheers!


	3. Hide & Seek

**Chapter 3: Hide & Seek**

_Entry Log: That Bane! I can't believe he tried to do… err, you know… On me! Thankfully, I managed to escape from his clutches while he's out, but now, I'm on the run from an angry bounty hunter. I hope Rex and the others are on their way, because I don't have any weapons or karate chops to handle that dude. Oh crap, what have I gotten myself into? _

Ahsoka: Why are we still here then?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Because someone has to do the disclaimer and your stupid Master won't stop complaining.

Anakin: Why the heck did you make me act so arrogant and conceited? I mean, I'm supposed to be the hero, the main character! Even Rex has a higher role than me!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Rolls eyes) Only because Rex is paired up with an OC. So no offense, but you just have been demoted.

Rex: (Smirks)

Anakin: T^T

Ahsoka: So who is doing the disclaimer?

Cad Bane: (Steps in) Who else, little padawan?

SW characters: Cad Bane?! o_O

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Hit it, Bane! XD

Cad Bane: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. Now can I have my pay?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Grumbles) They always want a tip… (Passes bag of credits to Cad Bane)

Cad Bane: Thanks, and by the way… (Smirks at me and especially Rex) … I enjoyed every second of my time with Claire.

Rex: (Anger at max level) YOU! (Takes out rocket launcher) DAMN YOU, BANE!

Cad Bane: I'm not afraid of you, Cl- Oh shoot! (Gets bombarded by rockets and runs for it)

Ahsoka: So Hikaru… we're going to save Claire, right?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Ahsoka… (Glances at Anakin) Some people can be just so cruel…

Anakin: Hey! Why are you dragging me into this?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Smirks) You'll see. And Ahsoka?

Ahsoka: Yeah?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: You ain't going to like it. (A/N: BTW, I also don't own any other anime names or songs mentioned in this fanfic.)

############

Anakin paced up and down in his ship and folded his arms, grumbling.

"It's been two days and we have yet to find her…" Ahsoka said.

"And Artoo," Anakin grunted.

Ahsoka shot a look of disbelief. "I know that Artoo means a lot to you, but shouldn't we be trying to locate Claire too?"

"It's not my fault that Artoo just disappeared and that Claire had to go missing too in this freakin' colossal planet!"

"None of this would have happened if you and Rex didn't start fighting!"

"Alright, alright! But the minute we find them, we're getting out of here," Anakin insisted, quickly leaving the ship to a guarding clone trooper. Ahsoka sighed.

"I hope Claire's having better luck than us…"

#############

Two days. For two bloody long days, I have been playing a dangerous game of hide & seek with my cunning captor. While trying to escape, I had to scavenge for food and almost resort to stealing. Believe me, you do not want to try paying an alien storeowner with American dollars.

Seeking shelter was even harder. And during those nights, I hardly get enough sleep. Brief moments of rest were cut short by the firing of laser rifles and scuffles. The only I had to keep myself warm, was my blue hoodie, black long stretchable pants, my comfy pair of white socks and sneakers. But I soon realize that Bane was the least of my problems as I overheard other bounty hunters walking out of a pub talking about a new bounty.

A huge bounty issued by the Emperor for two certain girls to be captured- Namely Soltaria and unluckily… myself. Swell, I've been thrown into black hole deep trouble.

And I have also realized that playing Hide & Seek with a bounty hunter was not a fun game. I repeat **not** fun at all. Especially when he's armed and you're not. I held my breath as I shrunk behind dustbin. Sweat dripped from my forehead and palms in my nervous state. Bane had tracked me down to a narrow alley, away from the crowded streets in this dark cursed night.

"Come out, come out where ever you are…" I heard Bane chuckle darkly from afar.

_And once you do… I'll make sure you're tied up and knocked out!_

I shuddered at his evil thoughts and crept to the wall next to the bin. Every step felt like a giant stomp towards my demise and I prayed to whatever God above to save me from the predator. I heard Bane whispered darkly in his mind.

_I know you're here…_

My heart thumped loudly against my chest, as I gulped. I could hear his footsteps inching closer to my location.

_I know you can hear my thoughts… _

The sound of the gun cocked and ready made me froze in my position.

_And I know… that you're afraid of me now._

A shot of hot laser missed me by an inch, searing a tiny piece of flesh on the surface of my left cheek. I gasped at the sudden burning pain on my face and quickly ran for the crowd. Knowing that Bane can't attract too much attention on me, unless he wanted to lose out to other bounty hunters, I headed into the busiest crowd on the streets and dash to some random location.

_Damn it._

I giggled mentally as Bane cursed in his head. Although the burn still stung, I shook it out of my thoughts and snuck out of the crowd to the alleyway of an unknown tall building with pink and cyan neon signs. Not wanting to get caught again, I brought my hood up and crept to the back door of the building and clicked the door open.

'_Perfect…_' I sighed in sweet relief.

What I didn't expect, was to find myself entering a huge room brightly lit with neon signs, disco lights, dancers on stage and huge groups of humans and aliens drinking to their heart's contents. I shrunk back to the shadows as I recognized laser guns and blasters on some of the customers' belts.

'_Drats, more bounty hunters? But why are they-_'

I looked up to see a huge neon sign that read:

Night Moon PUB [Where you can indulge in many pleasures]

I face palmed myself. "Nice going, idiot. You just had to send yourself into the tiger's den," I mumbled stupidly to myself.

"Hey, you there!" A yellow Twi'lek woman dressed skimpishly called me from below the stage.

Thinking that I have been discovered, I rushed to the door, only to be caught by the arm.

"Where have you been, Gareth? You almost missed out on your turn on the stage!" She scolded me.

I was surprised at first, but I soon caught on to the fact that she had mistaken me for someone else. Then, a thought struck me.

'_Wait… Did she just said stage?_'

###########

Rex grunted in disappointment as the men headed for the pub nearby for a drink to freshen up for the next few hours of searching. He wasn't agreeable to it, but the men practically pleaded with him for a break after six hours straight of searching the city. He gave in, but only to the condition that they could find some information on Claire and Artoo's whereabouts. Just before Rex could enter the pub, his com-link went on.

[Rex! Come in!] He recognized Ahsoka's voice.

"What is it, Ahsoka?" Rex asked.

[We just got some news from Master Kenobi. He said that Claire contacted Soltaria two days ago!]

Rex's heart sped at the thought that she was safe.

[But she got cut off, saying that someone was after her. Master Kenobi has a theory and you're not going to like it.] Ahsoka continued in a worried tone.

Rex grew concerned. "Who?"

[Cad Bane.]

The very name sent red-hot anger boiling in Rex's veins. He still had a score to settle with the bounty hunter back when Boomer and himself got captured during their mission in Ryloth. And let's just say that their relationship was anything but mutual.

So stay on your toes, Rex.

Rex didn't need to know more, and he replied, "Got it, Rex out."

Signing off, he entered the pub, ready to pull his men back into the search when he noticed everyone cheering at the dancers on the stage. Even the troopers were enjoying themselves and were whistling as the dance off between the hooded human and a green Twi'lek dancer raged on.

"Captain! You should have seen what that kid did!" One of his troopers, Denal yelled in through the noise.

Rex didn't say anything. His eyes were on the young dancer, who moved his body so fluidly with the beat. There was something familiar about the dancer that he couldn't put his finger on. Something that he had witnessed before that had left him speechless an dazed in the heat of the music back on Earth.

##########

"So you think you can dance better than me?" the Twi'lek woman sneered.

I shrugged. '_Not my fault that your manager forced me on stage and that you tripped on your own feet._'

The Twi'lek dancer however, took my silence as an insult and soon, a dance off was issued. '_Way to grab everyone's attention, Claire…_' I sighed to myself, knowing now how Kakashi from Naruto felt whenever Gai stupidly challenged him.

The music started and the Twi'lek dancer began to dance seductively, seducing many lustful men with her long slim legs and wide hips. I rolled my eyes as she walked towards me and traced a red fingernail-polished finger around my shoulders. I resisted the urge to puke, since the dancer was under the impression that I was a guy thanks to my hoodie. I was very disturbed when she tried to do a lap-dance and I had to hold back my screams of disgust. Recoiling from the Twi'lek dancer, I shuddered as she gave a seductive smirk.

"Still want to challenge me?" She asked.

Wanting revenge on the nasty lap-dance, I nodded and whipped out my I-Pod. The Twi'lek dancer frowned. "What is that?"

I grinned under the hood in a small flashback.

#####(Flashback)#######

"_Hey, Soltaria. Can I ask for a favor?"_

_Soltaria turned around, beaming her cheerful grin. "Sure!"_

_I took out my I-Pod from my pocket. "Can you use your magic to make my I-Pod accessible to the music/sound systems in the SW world?"_

_Soltaria arched a brow in suspicion, sensing a plot in my evil brain. "Why?"_

_I grinned mischievously. "So that I can use it to let the other characters listen to some 'real' music?"_

_Soltaria narrowed her eyes at me._

"_And maybe play some as loud wake up calls for Obi Wan or Anakin?"_

_She looked ready to crack up at the very image in her head: Obi Wan falling out of his bed in shock. Anakin hitting his head and began cursing words that would even get his dead mother to rise and slap his head upside for saying them._

"_Fine," She laughed and sealed the deal with magic._

#####(End Flashback)######

I plugged a wire into the I-Pod, connecting it to the sound system. Once it was done, I set it to my favourite track list and grinned mischievously at the Twi'lek dancer. She smirked.

"Oh, poor thing didn't work?" She mocked a sad pouty face.

'_Oh, just you wait…_' I cackled in my mind evilly.

In a moment, the song, "Sorry Sorry" by Super Junior was played. I danced out the routine, rubbing my hands together as I bended my body from the right to the left. Then began slapping the ankles of each foot per beat before moving to the swift hand motions. I folded my arms and did a 360-degree move with my waist like how the dancers did in their music video.

The Twi'lek dancer gaped, along with the audience, who despite not knowing the song, began cheering and clapping. Then I began dancing to the song "Nobody" by Wonder Girls and threw in a moonwalk for the song, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Some of the audience even stood up to dance along and enjoy the music. Just as the Twi'lek dancer thought it was over when the music ended, I smirked.

"Now let's kick it old school."

I broke into a couple of hip-hop and break-dancing moves at the next songs, "Jump to the rhythm" by Jordan Pruitt and "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas. From Air Swipes and flares to 360-degree spins and simple free style where I just let myself flow with the music. And of course, I was enjoying every moment of it. When the twi'lek dancer tried to win back the audience, I threw in a headstand, also performing a pike. At the end, I did three back flips, at the same time crisscrossing my arms. The audience just cheered louder with enthusiasm and the Twi'lek dancer surrendered with a sour face. I smiled in triumphant until, someone from the audience gasped.

"Y-You're a girl?"

By his words, I realized that my hood was off and my identity was exposed.

###########

The clones from the far side of the pub stared, blinked or gaped in shock as the dancer's identity was revealed to be none other than their missing person. Rex couldn't move a muscle as he witnessed the same cute nervous blush crept on Claire's features.

One of the clone troopers couldn't help but ask Rex, "Is that your girlfriend?"

"Wh- NO! I mean yes… N-No… Yes!" Rex fumbled with his words in embarrassment.

"Wow… she's hot…" Another trooper sighed dreamily. Rex was stunned by his words.

"Man, if you're not dating her, then I will!" The earlier trooper remarked.

An anime vein popped onto Rex's head and was just about to strangle the clone when a green humanoid alien spoke up.

"Hey! Isn't she that girl wanted with the bounty on her head?"

A long silence filled the stage until Claire laughed nervously before waving to the crowd and dashing to backstage.

"Get HER!"

In a flash, the whole pub was filled with gunfire and drunken brawling. Rex pushed through the crowd, ordering the men to handle the bounty hunters and panicked customers. He dashed to the stage to followed Claire, but she soon disappeared amidst the violent outbreak.

"CLAAAAAAAAAAAIRE!" Rex cried out.

###########

I gasped and panted as I dashed backstage, hiding behind a corridor. Two bounty hunters who had followed went to the other direction, through the back door. I slumped against the wall, thanking the heavens for that narrow escape.

"Hello, girl."

Or not.

My gasps were muffled as a blue hand clamped onto my mouth from behind. My arms and legs thrashed around as another arm snaked its way around my waist, pulling me close to the blue duros bounty hunter's body.

"Stay quiet. Unless you want a whole room of hunters firing lasers at our asses," Bane hissed into my ear.

Despite my urge to kick him below the belt again, the incoming footsteps warned me to be on my best behavior. So grouchily, I agreed with a silent nod. Bane slid his hand away from my mouth and led me further down the corridor, away from the hunters.

"We're going back to your room, aren't we?" I was almost afraid to ask after the almost 'rape'.

Bane shook his head. "No, we're going straight to the ship."

I halted, my eyes widening as wide as saucepans. "WHAA-"

Bane cut of my scream with his free hand and slammed me against the wall. I bit back a wince as Bane glare at me, baring his shiny menacing fangs.

"You idiot, are you trying to get us killed?" He growled.

I struggled even harder, but that just mad Bane even more irritated.

_That's it._

Bane's sudden thought struck me, but that wasn't even what took me by surprise. In the next second, Bane swiftly caught my lips with his own, muffling a shriek from my throat. I was so stunned that I couldn't move.

'_NANI? WHAT? WHAT? __**WHAAAAT?**_' My inner chibi self screamed and ran amok around my brain like a crazy chicken on the loose.

Bane kiss me harder, his lips clamored over mine, not even giving any breathing space. Heat suffocated me and suppressing my moans became harder. Bane smirked in the kiss and pulled his lips away. Dazed, I didn't even notice his slender blue finger gently tracing my lips.

"What's the matter? Enjoyed the kiss too much?" Bane teased darkly.

In my blurry daze, I saw Bane being punched across the room. Someone rushed to my side and shook my shoulders. "Claire! Are you alright?" My savior asked.

I blinked, snapping out of my shock to find the one person I had missed terribly.

"Rex…" I became misty-eyed, as I reached out to touch his helmet.

I could sense Rex smiling the helmet as I hugged him tightly. I sniffed, a smile on my face as we held each other in embrace. "Rex!" I cried happily.

"Ssh… it's ok, now," Rex whispered gently.

Just as the embrace was over, Rex's tone changed when he noticed the scorch mark on my left cheek. He touched it gingerly. "What happened to you?" His voice was full of concern.

"Errr… let's just say that I had a run in with…" My eyes darted to Bane, who was rubbing his cheek from the attack.

As soon as Rex connected the dots of what happened, his battle aura sparked.

Enter killer commando mode.

Enter Rex ready to stuff Bane full of bullets and bruises.

Okay, on second thought, more like a wolverine ripping apart a chew toy.

"BAAAAAAAANNEE!" Rex roared, firing his twin laser guns at Bane's sorry ass.

I had to admit, dodging hundreds of laser bullets was tough, even for the notorious and cunning Cad Bane. But the hunter had better reflexes than I thought, firing his own laser rifle at Rex. The clone captain got nicked on the right leg, while Bane was received a shot at his left arm and side of the waist. I heard him curse while I rushed to Rex.

"Can you stand, Rex?" I asked.

He groaned. "Yeah… Just a scratch."

I was about to help him up when Bane yanked me from behind by the collar. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held the laser rifle near my head.

"Come any closer, and she will suffer!" Bane rasped.

"Rex, don't listen to him! He needs me alive for the bounty, so he's lying!"

I yelped as the grip around my stomach tightened. Rex grunted, slowly standing up while limping on one foot. He was reluctant in aiming the gun at me.

_I can't… not when she's in danger…_

I felt so stunned that I almost cried at Rex's thought, my heart bled for him. He put down the weapon, and my inner chibi self broke down.

Bane smirked. _Perfect… I can deal with the clone right here and now._

To my horror, Bane raised his rifle, taking careful aim at Rex. Knowing full well of his cold-blooded nature, I knew I had to stop him. But I know that I was going to regret what I did next.

As Bane's grip on me loosened, I twisted my body around to meet his red sinister eyes and pressed both of my hands on each side of his face.

Bane was utterly taken aback. "What are you doi-"

In a split second, my lips were pressed against his roughly. One second, I was kissing him. And the next, everyone's jaws hit the floor. Bane abruptly pulled me away from the kiss. "What the hell are you-" I cut him off with another forceful kiss and felt his body relax at the touch. I parted my mouth slightly, allowing Bane's tongue entrance (Much to my disgust). As soon as his tongue slipped in, I smirked and bit down hard on his tongue. Bane howled in pain as I shoved him off me and kneed him on the gut. He collapsed onto the ground with a painful thud and I stuck out my tongue in sheer disgust.

"BLEH! Yuckie-Patooey! Ack!" I spat.

Quickly, I grabbed Rex's hand and sped out of the pub. Rex limped while I help him by putting his arm over my shoulders. We ran through the crowd and got to the safest area near a towering skyscraper, where we recuperated our strength.

"Phew! That was close!" I wheezed.

Rex remained silent, and I began to feel guilty. "Rex… I'm sorry…"

"I understand," Rex chuckled lightly, but I could still sense some hurt in his tone. "I figured that you might not like sticking to one guy."

Surprise flashed in my eyes as he continued. "Besides… I won't hate you if you forget me after so long."

Then anger spread across me face as I slapped his head upside.

"OW! What the heck was that for?"

"You idiot! How can I forget you? Did you know how much I missed you while we were separated?" I yelled, facing him with tears streaming down my face.

"Claire… I…"

"Can't you see that the reason I came back was because **I love you and I bloody missed you?**"

Rex bent his head down in shame. _No, it's not like that… I did miss you too, I just…_

"You just what, Rex?"

Rex suddenly lifted his head, staring at me in shock.

"Yeah… I forgot to tell you that I can read minds now… sort of," I grinned at him sheepishly.

Rex chuckled and the atmosphere lightened with some small talk and laughter.

"I can't believe that you got so easily jealous…"

"Sorry… I guess I missed you terribly…" Rex replied.

I smiled and scooted closer to him. "Rex?"

"Yeah?"

I placed a finger on my lips and smiled gently. "From now on, these lips will be yours alone."

Rex stared at me, as if he was so lost in his thoughts. And they sure were loud enough to be heard.

_D-Did she said what I think she just said? Her lips are mine forever? Oh by the Force, I must be dreaming! And that means she still likes me too and... YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS! Oh YEAH! I'm the luckiest clone in the world! I must be on the Force's good side today! HELL YEAH!_

I burst out laughing at his flustered yet happy thoughts, giggling helplessly as Rex stopped thinking after he noticed me rolling along the sidewalk.

"You heard everything, didn't you…" Rex said.

I nodded and Rex began wishing that he could crawl up in a hole and stay there forever. I hugged his arm and leaned my head on top of his shoulder. Rex stroked my hair.

"You know… you better be careful when we get back. Some of my men have the hots for you after that whole dance off at the pub," He whispered discreetly.

I sat stunned and looked up to see his face, realizing that Rex had taken off his helmet. "No way…"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Now it was my turn to wish myself into the hole. '_Forget the black hole! This is a catastrophe in the lengths of the __apocalypse__!_'

Rex tipped my chin to meet his warm gaze, staring into his chocolate-brown eyes. I blushed deeply, shades of red streaked across my face. Rex leaned his face closer and I nervously closed my eyes, doing the same.

"Where the hell have you guys been?"

The both of us froze and turned around to find Anakin standing with crossed arms in akimbo.

"I dragged my stupid butt all the way through bounty hunters and gang fights, but all I find here are the two of you are making out?" Anakin's eyes bulged out at every word in his sentence; his voice was laced with venom

Rex and I blushed intensely in embarrassment, as while Ahsoka walked in with Artoo by her side.

"Don't mind him, he's just in a bad mood today," She said.

Artoo beeped happily and Anakin went over to give the cute droid a hug. "Artoo! You're alive!"

"Where did you find him?" Rex asked.

"He was about to get chew down by the garbage robot, but I managed to save him."

Artoo wriggled out of Anakin's grasp and went over to nudge Ahsoka, followed by Rex and I. I giggled as Artoo beeped a cheerful response.

"Nice to see you again too, Artoo," I smiled.

Anakin laughed as well, but he paused after a brief moment.

"I sense something…" Anakin said.

"Maybe it's your stomach?" I hopefully suggested.

Suddenly, the sound of a hundred footsteps grew louder and we turned around to find a stampede of bounty hunters running towards us. From the looks of their faces, they were anything but happy.

"GET HER!" One of them shouted.

Then again, make that anything but happy and **pissed off**.

"Come on!" I heard Anakin yelled and grabbed my hand. Ahsoka and Artoo helped the limping Rex, speeding off to their ship as clone troopers from afar tried to take down some of the bounty hunters from behind. Anakin sped up through the streets, picking up the pace while yanking me behind. Unable to catch up with his speed, my body was repeatedly thrown to the ground and in flying in the air.

"ANAKIN! You're going way too FAST!" I screamed.

"No time! We have to get to the ship ASAP!"

Before I could retort, my body collided with passersby in the throng of the crowd, falling to the ground. The next thing I knew, was that a shadow hovered over me and picked me up again.

##########

As soon as everyone got into the ship, Anakin ordered a clone to start the ship and floor it. The ship took off and they soon found themselves drifting in space, leaving many bounty hunters to eat their dust.

"Hah! Now that wasn't so tough!" Anakin grinned triumphantly.

"Yeah… except there's one problem!"

Confused, Anakin turned around to find an angry Ahsoka, Rex and clone troopers. But Claire was not in the ship.

"I thought you had her?"

Ahsoka glared. "Hello? I was with Rex!"

"And you were the one who last held her," Rex stated angrily.

"Aw great! Just great! Artoo, lets turn the ship around and-"

Anakin stopped to find Artoo was not in the ship either. This time, even Ahsoka, Rex and the others were surprised.

"I thought you had Artoo, Snips?" Anakin cried out in disbelief.

"We must have lost him while fleeing from the hunters," Rex muttered.

"How can you lose a droid in a throng of people and aliens? And how did you guys get here faster than I did?"

"We jumped across the roofs of buildings," Ahsoka smirked.

Anakin looked like he just got slapped across the face, and was about to retort, when Rex interrupted.

"So where are they now?"

#############

Ahsoka: (Smacks Anakin's head upside)

Anakin: OW!

Ahsoka: I can't believe you lost both Claire and Artoo! Again!

Anakin: But I was even with Artoo then!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well, that's all for chapter three. Be sure to review this and I might even add a dance off between some of the SW characters… somewhere…

Soltaria: (Enters room) Hey Hikaru, have you seen Claire-Bear?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Anakin lost her in Coruscant again.

Anakin: O.O"

Ahsoka: O_o (Steps 100 meteres away from Anakin)

Soltaria: (Flares up) He WHAAAAAAT? She hasn't been in these extras section for two chapters already!

Anakin: T^T" Crap…

Soltaria: I'm gonna kill you! (Brings our dual light sabers and charges at full speed towards Anakin)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well, before the slaughter fest goes on, hope you enjoy the story and I would like to thank the people who review for the previous chaps. So please review again and no flames please! Cheers! XD


	4. The Dark Side calls

**Chapter 4: The Dark Side calls…**

_Entry log: Man! I never expected myself to debut on Star Wars through a dance off in a pub. It's still kind of embarrassing… And ACK! I can't believe I had to kiss Bane AGAIN! Gross! Thankfully, Rex showed up. Sigh… And we had such a wonderful moment back then. If only stupid Anakin didn't interrupt us. (Swell, I feel like some bimbo high school girl with a mega crush) But now thanks to him, I'm stuck on Coruscant AGAIN! And what about Artoo, Ahsoka and Rex? Gosh, I hope they're safe._

SW cast: (In court room muttering amongst themselves)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Slams hammer) Order in the court! Bring out the defendant!

Anakin: (Brought forth to pedestal by clones) Hey! Let go of me!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Anakin Skywalker! You have been charged (and sued) for abandoning fellow characters: Claire Aschlock and R2-D2, using vulgarities and insulting others with your arrogant and prissy attitude. Do you have anything to say about these charges?

Anakin: That this courtroom scenario is totally exaggerating and a waste of time?

SW cast: Boooooo… (Jeers and throws rotten tomatoes at Anakin)

Anakin: O_o Ack! (Hit in the face by tomato)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Very well, since you have no witnesses to prove that you are innocent from these charges, I pronounce you…

Cody: (Enters court room, whispers) Erm, Hikaru. We need to take five for a disclaimer and incoming Separatist attack.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Of all times! Dooku sure has a lousy sense of timing! Ah whatever! Just lock the prissy jerk in his cell for now.

Anakin: HEY!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Audience! We'll be right back after this break and story, so for now… Disclaimer!

Cody: Ten-hut!

Random Clone troopers: (File into position) xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Thanks man! You guys are awesome and the fan girls would love to shout out to you guys. (Takes out recorder and presses play button)

Recorder: OMG! WE LOVE YOU! YOU GUYS ARE SO HOT! KYAAAAAAAAAAH!

All clone troopers: O_O

Cody: That's a lot of fan girls… O.O"

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Yeah, but for now… Onto the story! And many thanks to the readers and reviewers, you guys are what made this story ongoing! ^^

#################

_Somewhere in the Galaxy…_

Artoo beeped uneasily as the Cad Bane set the drop ship on autopilot. He turned to the comatose human girl strapped to the passenger seat, her chest rising and falling to match her breathing pace.

"You sure are troublesome for a kid," Bane smirked. The bruises on his body ached again, causing him to wince at the needle-sharp pain. "And sure know how to hit."

Artoo tried to ram against the Duros' seat, but was caught off guard by Bane's hand holding it off by the head with ease. The droid beeped irritatingly, but was soon shut down with a press on the off switch.

"That should keep you quiet," Bane muttered under his breath.

A soft sigh escaped from Claire's lips, catching the bounty hunter's attention. He smiled.

"You know, you remind me of myself when I was younger. Rebellious, sarcastic and sneaky…" His voice trailed off as an unconscious smile crept on her features.

She wasn't busty or curvy; In fact, she probably won't turn any male on with her current look or attitude. Though Bane had to admit that he found her spunky side quite cute. Never in his life had someone try to escape him with effective impromptu tactics, twice.

And when she danced. It was as if a whole new devilish demoness had sprung to life, tempting him with desires that he believed were a waste of time.

He raised his hand from his lap, brushing strands of hair away from her now serene face. For a moment Bane's fingers refused to move from the fair skinned cheeks. He had never realized how long her eyelashes were. Bane observed Claire's face longer, absentmindedly leaning towards her. His lips were merely inches away from hers when he heard her mumble something.

"Rex…"

Bane froze in his position. _Did she just call for that clone?_

Realizing what he had almost done, Bane leaned away from the sleeping defenseless girl. He gave another lingering gaze to Claire, and let out a disappointed sigh.

"Why did you have to be involved in this damn deal?"

#################

"What do you mean you lost Claire again?" Soltaria screamed in her holo-projector form.

A sharp pain drilled into Anakin's ear. He winced as Soltaria began berating at his incompetence. And she would have mauled him down if Obi Wan had not reminded her that she was only speaking to him through a holo-transmission.

"I should have changed you into a **toad **instead of a kid!" She huffed and stormed off. (A/N: Refer incident to previous story: A wish for family, chapter 4)

"Now, now, Soltaria. At least Yoda was kind enough to gather most of the Jedi and the clones on the lookout for her." Obi Wan turned to face Anakin solemnly. "I'm most disappointed with you Anakin…"

"It wasn't my fault that we got caught in a traffic jam during the peak hours!" Anakin retorted. "Obi Wan, you **know** that Coruscant was famous for huge crowds _and_ bounty hunters."

"So you just ran into a pub full of them? Recklessly endangering the lives of others and your comrades? And then lost Claire and Artoo _again_?" Obi Wan mused.

Ahsoka and Rex sniggered in the background, while Anakin shot a glare at them.

"Now then, any ideas of where she might be? Aside from the obvious fact that the Separatists may employ their troops to hunt her and Soltaria down?"

Ahsoka cast a worried glance at Obi Wan. "Yeah, like Bane capturing Artoo and her and possibly sending them to the Emperor."

"Or a Separatists fleet," Rex grunted as a med droid patched up his leg.

Anakin scratched the back of his head. Struck by an idea, he slammed his fist on the palm of his other hand.

"I got it! Claire and Artoo probably got kidnapped by Bane again, and are now being delivered to the Separatists as we speak!"

"That's what I just said," Ahsoka and Rex said simultaneously, glaring at their idiotic jerk of a leader, as he laughed in pathetic triumph.

"Alright then, send out ships to be on a look out for any suspicious ships and the Separatists fleet."

"By the way, Master Kenobi? How is Soltaria's training going?" Ahsoka asked bubbly.

Obi Wan chuckled. "There are some improvements, and she should be ready soon. I'll bring her over to the Resolute once my work in the Jedi Temple is done."

"Are you sure it's safe for her, Master Kenobi?"

"I'm very sure. In fact, I think she needs to be trained in piloting if we are to go up against the Separatist."

Anakin's mouth crashed onto the floor. "Are you crazy? She can't even drive a land vehicle probably! Think of what destruction that mad cow can pull while flying!"

"Not too worry Anakin, Plo Koon will be dealing with her flight lessons. Unless you want t o volunteer-"

"Hell NO!"

Obi Wan smiled. "Well then. Rex, please inform Cody that he would need to be prepared for Soltaria's arrival in a four days."

"Yes, Sir."

#################

Bane roughly woke me up as the drop ship reached a Separatist fleet. I scowled as I remembered what happened. "Bane… I swear, if you did something to me-"

"Relax, girl. I never touched you in _that_ way," He said.

I breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around to find Artoo sitting in the corner of the ship. "Did you scare him or something?"

"No, I turned it off. The droid was getting too noisy for it's own good."

My eyes flashed with anger. "What the hell? Just because he beeps in a cute fashion and you get pissed?"

"I won't get any more pissed, if you just shut up now and let me handle the talking," He spoke in a low tone.

My blood ran cold at his tone, and grudgingly, I kept my mouth shut. The minute the ship landed in the hanger, Bane untied me and I ran over to Artoo. Activating him with a push of a button, Artoo beeped back to life.

"Hey, little guy," I smiled as Artoo beeped happily at me.

"Oh for crying out loud."

I rolled my eyes at Bane's response and replied flatly, "For the record, Artoo is a '**He**', not an '**It**'.

Droids armed with laser rifles received us as soon as we alighted from the ship. I was in the awe upon stepping into a separatist battle cruiser for the first time. The only down side was that Bane had me cuffed while the droids escort Artoo and I to our unknown destination. I glared discreetly at Bane, who was smirking like some lucky dude who struck lottery.

_Finally going to get something worthy in goods…_

I scoffed at his mental response. _'Idiot badass cheapskate…'_

Artoo beeped worriedly as we entered the ship bridge, finding the hologram of the Emperor speaking with a familiar figure. I recognized her as Ventress, Dooku's apprentice and assassin.

'_Even the creepy-bald lady's here…' _I shuddered at the very thought of her.

"I see. Very well, carry on with your duties while I discuss some terms with our guests," The Emperor said. "And please don't eavesdrop on our conversation."

"Yes, my lord," Ventress bowed and turned around to head for the exit.

As she walked away from the Emperor, Ventress smirked as she saw me cuffed. Poor Artoo squeaked as one of the droids kicked him forward. "Hey!" I yelled at the droid, but was shoved forward by Bane. "Move it," He said.

"Greetings, Bane. I see you have found one of the strangers from the other dimension."

Bane proudly presented me like a trophy as the Emperor peered at me closely.

"You sure look feminine for a boy at your age," He said.

'_Boy? What he's talking abo- Oh!'_

My eyes furrowed together, mashing my teeth against each other.

"Oh my god! I'm NOT A BOY!" I blurted out.

Every droid turned their attention to my trembling form. Bane gave a short glare at my direction, but the Emperor just laughed. "My apologies, it looks like my sight failed me. Claire Aschlock, I presume?"

I stood stunned. '_How did he know my name?_'

He laughed again. "You're not the only one with mind-reading abilities, Claire. And it seems Bane picked the right girl for my plans."

I scowled. "I'll _never_ join you."

"Oh you _will_, for you could learn so much from me. Including about your _true_origins and your parents…"

"I know enough about my parents and origins! And it's definitely not from this world!"

The cloaked emperor narrowed his unseen eyes at me. "Really?"

For some reason, my body trembled at his words, and my thoughts swirled around my mind. All of a sudden, my whole being felt like it was being swallowed whole.

"Then why do I sense so much confusion in you, Claire? So much questions, uncertainty and," He paused at the last word. "…Loneliness?"

I balled my fists up, controlling the rage within me.

"How does it feel, my dear? To be the outcast, unaccepted by everyone? Wondering why you are so different from others? And your parents… did you ever wondered if your mother truly cared about you after you father-"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed.

The emperor cackled. "Ah, such hatred and anger…"

I glared at the mad man, realizing that he was just playing with me. I wiped away my angry tears, a smirk formed on my lips. "You know what? Get some moisturizer for those nasty wrinkles. I'm sure it'll improve your potential '_beauty_'."

The droids began laughing and slapping their sides at the joke, while I heard Bane secretly snigger. The Emperor's body shook with anger, but it soon subsided, silencing the laughter. "You're very strong-willed…"

"Pardon the intrusion in your moment, but I'll need my pay," Bane curtly spoke.

"In a matter of time, Cad Bane. But for now, I have another mission for you."

Bane sighed and tipped the brim of his hat. "Name it."

"I'll need you to train the girl in using weapons. Since she would be the perfect heir as my… apprentice."

Both Bane and my eyes widened at those words. Artoo beeped, astounded.

"I had rather be humiliated in skirts than join you!"

Bane turning on his heel and moved quickly for the exit. "I don't just train any people, and besides, I still have other jobs to do."

The Emperor sighed disappointedly. "How unfortunate, Bane. For you see, I was thinking of giving you quadruple your usual raise."

At the word 'quadruple', Bane stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. I stared at the Emperor, amazed. '_Man! And I thought George Lucas sat on a mountain made out of gold!_'

"How much are we talking about exactly?" Bane asked.

"Give or take… billions of hard cold credits."

Bane greedily smirked. "Deal."

'_Cheapskate!_' My inner chibi self decreed and took out a plushie of Bane, furiously slashing him into izzybizzy pieces.

"And you will also have a partner," the Emperor announced.

Just then, Grievous barged into the bridge and rushed over to the Emperor.

"Master, you called?" And that was when he saw Bane, Artoo and I dumbly presented. "Hi Grievy!" I waved.

It took all of Grievous' sanity not to wring my neck with his metal talons. All he could say then was: "Don't call me that!"

The Emperor cleared his throat. "So glad you could finally join us. For someone twenty minutes late!"

"Forgive me my lord. I had to settle my lord's unpredicted ailment."

"Ailment?"

Grievous barked at one of the droids to bring forth a hooded figure that was unveiled to be Count Dooku. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong," Bane said. Artoo beeped in agreement, until Dooku came to life in the most random manner.

"Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei! Nu ma, nu ma iei! Nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei! Chipul tau si dragostea din tei! Mi-amintesc de ochii tai-" Dooku was abruptly cut off by Grievous knocking him out with a slap to his head. And so, the once powerful Sith lord was soon dragged away by the med droids.

"**What** was **that**?" The Emperor asked.

"That would be DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI by Haiducii, AKA the 'Numa Numa' song."

Everyone stared at me, as if I just spoke in Wookie language. Even Artoo beeped at my confusing reply. "It's a song from my world Artoo. I have it in my- Oh shoot! I left my damn I-Pod in the pub back in Coruscant!"

I went into gloom mode, with the solo spotlight on me in the corner. Grievous simply ignored my dramatic pose and explained to the Emperor. "Count Dooku had suffered this disease in the other dimension before, but was presumably cured after our return here."

"The ripple effect caused from the arrival of our targets must have gotten the illness acting up again. Is there a cure for him?"

I snapped out of my gloom mode, proclaiming with a cheeky smile, "Nope! Because it's Alzheimer's Disease!"

Bane arched a brow at my direction. "Since when did you become the doctor?"

"I'm no doctor, but this ailment is quite popular with the elderly in my home world. And there's definitely no medication in this world for his illness. Unless you have some drugs or something that helps soothe their nerves and all."

The Emperor rubbed his temple. "We'll put him in sedation then. And since you're so smart, why don't you tell us what we can expect from this disease? Just for us to be mentally prepared."

I turned to Grievous who rolled his eyes and grumbled. "Memory loss."

"Wanders off a lot."

"Constantly repeating his questions."

"Gets agitated real easily at anything."

"Unaware of his surroundings."

"And hell lots of spastic moments," I ended with a sarcastic smile. "Have fun with that."

The Emperor sat down on his chair, admiring Grievous and I in his holographic form. "My, my, Grievous, I didn't expect you of all people to hit off so well with the girl."

Grievous' eye twitched nervously, but gruffly replied with a snort. "I don't have any feelings towards the girl, _Master_." The last word came out as a hiss.

Artoo beeped suspiciously at Grievous' tone, as if he was saying "Riiiiiigght…"

But it was even more awkward when Artoo turned to me while saying it. For a moment, I felt oblivious to what's going on.

"Good then, because you will be assisting Bane in training Claire to be my apprentice. And that's an ORDER."

As the Emperor decreed those words, the three of us reacted simultaneously.

"I'll **NOT** train this impudent brat!"

"I don't work well with people like him, especially droids…" Bane nonchalantly said.

"What the F$% did you say?" Grievous snapped at the smirking Bounty hunter.

"And it will be a cold day in Hell before I work with a psycho bastard like you! Cuz no offense, I support the Good side here."

"Tsk, tsk, such colorful language…" The Emperor lightly scolded. "The role of the teacher was originally meant for Dooku, but since he's out of commission… you, General Grievous, have to suck it up and work with Bane. Same goes to you, Bounty Hunter."

Both of my 'teachers' crossed their arms, not even sparing a glance at each other. "Hello? Has everyone forgotten that I **do not** want to be part of this?" I repeated myself more boldly.

"I don't believe you can escape this ship without getting shot. Unless you can somehow hide your presence in the Force and just slip out." The crazy old asshole laughed. "Besides, it would take awhile before any of your friends find you, so get used to your new home, my young apprentice."

The transmission ended with a final maniacal laugh, leaving the three of us speechless for some time. Artoo beeped in a deep worried tone.

"I know, Artoo. We're in big doo-doo now," I said.

###############

The Jedi council concentrated deeply, doing their best to trace Claire's presence. But alas, the Jedi knights broke out of their focused concentration. Sweat poured from the temples of Obi Wan, Kit, Shaak Ti, Aayla and Yoda.

"It is no use. No matter how many times we tried, we cannot detect her presence in the Force like before!" Kit exasperated.

Yoda sighed in agreement. "Unable to sense her in the Force now, strange it is."

Obi Wan pondered. "Could it be that someone is blocking her presence in the Force? Like the Sith?"

"It would have to be someone powerful… Like the Emperor," Aayla suggested.

Yoda nodded in agreement. "Possible, it is. Then entered a Separatist's ship by now, she must have. Hurry with Soltaria's training, we must."

As the end of his sentence, Soltaria entered the room; a sulky expression was on her face. Shaak Ti gazed at her, her voice full of concern. "Is something wrong, Soltaria?"

"I went to visit Macey after my training, but he didn't look so happy when I came to see him in the ward," She replied softly, sighing in disappointment.

Everyone chuckled at Mace's nickname. "He's probably still recovering and not well…" Kit joked.

"But look!" Soltaria whipped out a bouquet of orange flowers. "I even got these flowers as an apology gift for Macey from the local flower store, but he turned them down and sent me out!"

In an instant, the Jedi fled to the far end of the room, staring at the dreaded flowers in Soltaria's hands.

"What's the matter with all of you?" She asked, utterly confused.

Aayla shakily pointed at the bouquet. "Those are damsel flowers!"

"What?"

"Their pollen shrink victims to the size of insects!"

Soltaria stares at the bouquet in fear and screamed. With all of her strength, she threw the bouquet away, unaware of its next intended direction. The next thing she knew, Kit and Aayla were gone, while the other Jedi were sprawled against the opposite walls in the room.

"W-Where's Master Fisto and Secura?" Shaak Ti lips trembled shakily.

##############

"HEY! Over here!" A shrunken Kit waved madly at the towering Jedi and Soltaria. Aayla whacked his head upside. "Ouchie!"

"You idiot! They can't hear us now!" She gasped. "Ah! My voice sounds so squeaky!"

Kit shrugged. "It's not that bad…" Then he blinked. "Whoa… I sound different."

"I don't want to be stuck like this forever!" Aayla wailed, crying in the corner.

Kit grew frantic, trying to comfort the sobbing Aayla. "I-It's ok! Maybe it's temporary. If not, I'm sure we can find the others and get treated by the medic. Besides…"

Kit blushed as he spoke softly to Aayla. "You… look cute even when shrunken."

Aayla stopped sobbing, and her face flushed at the comment. A brief smile crept on her features. "Thank you…"

"AHEM!"

Kit and Aayla turn around to find a shrunken Mace in akimbo stance. "Will the both of you stop the mushy moment and find a way to get their attention?"

"Mace? How did you get shrunk too?"

"After I sent Soltaria packing, some of the pollen shook off from the flowers and landed on me. I had to hitch a ride on her robe to alert you all, but instead I fell and almost got stepped on by that ignorant…" Mace stopped as he noticed Kit standing next to him. "What?"

Kit's eyes widened and exclaimed. "Mace! You're shorter than me!"

Aayla burst out laughing while Mace sulked. "I was under the effects longer, alright. You don't have to push it."

"Erm, Master Windu?"

"Not now, Aayla. We need to-"

Kit was slowly backing away with Aayla watching in horror of what lied behind Mace. "Mace, my friend. I think it is best if we go. Now," Kit softly insisted.

"Why is everyone trying to interrupt me? By the Force I swear you are all-"

In a second, Soltaria's foot came crashing down behind Mace. The Jedi froze and slowly looked up to find Soltaria's other feet hovering above him.

"Oh by the Force…"

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Obi Wan's foot is approaching faster than a speeder!"

"AAAHHH! I don't want to get squashed! Especially by Yoda!"

And while The Jedi looked around cautiously for their shrunken friends, they spend most of the time dodging giant feet.

##############

_"Rex…"_

_Rex turned to meet the loving gaze of his love, Claire Aschlock. She flashed a cheeky smile, revealing pearly white teeth. He smiled back, unable to resist the contagious happiness beaming off her. The light dazzled on her black orbs like stars twinkling in the black galaxy. It was just the two of them, sitting on a balcony, admiring the sunset- the usual romantic scene. Without warning, Claire leaned towards Rex's smooth face and kissed him sweetly. Rex smiled in the kiss and they remained lip-locked for some time. Lip moved around lip, hunger grew in the form of warm need and snuggling. Rex arms ensnared around Claire's waist and her arms wind themselves around his neck, pressing their bodies closer against each other. Things were getting real steamy, until…_

"REX!"

Rex snapped his eyes open and came face to face with Cody. Cody slapped his helmet and groaned. "Please don't tell me that you went dreaming about her again."

Rex let out a disappointed sigh. _It was just a dream…_

"Cody-"

Cody raised his hand to cut in. "If it's X-rated. Spare me the details."

Rex's face flushed at the comment, but he smirked. "It almost did, until you interrupted."

He almost guffawed as Cody lurched and gurgled a groan of disgust.

"Aw man! Thanks for the mental images, Rex!"

Rex laughed, but soon stopped at the thought of her again. Sensing his worry, Cody lightly punched his shoulder. "Hey, she'll be alright. Claire isn't the type who goes down that easily," He assured.

"I know. That's what I like about her…" Rex smiled.

Cody stared at him, surprised. "You're not going mushy on me, are you?"

Rex playfully punched Cody by the shoulder. "Speaking of Claire… I heard that Soltaria is coming over for flying lessons."

Cody groaned. "I'm going to have to help in repairing lots of ships."

"Honestly, I think General Plo Koon has it the hardest."

"I know! But he acted so nonchalant about the whole thing that it made me wonder if he knew how potentially dangerous Soltaria is. That girl's a living SPHA walker!" (A/N: SPHA= Self-propelled heavy artillery. Technically a modular weapon with blasters, turbo lasers, ion cannon and etc.)

Rex slapped Cody's back. "You need me to get something to keep you awake?"

"Yeah. Espresso, triple shots."

They laughed yet again as brothers in arms.

"Who knows? I think Claire's fighting off the Separatist scum as we speak."

###############

"I thought you said that I only had to go against one of them?" I yelled as hundreds of droids and super battle droids fired numerous laser bullets at me. I was left dodging them and hiding behind the many obstacles in the arena. My clothes were tattered and torn from the many laser burns.

Grievous, aka the dumb ass who dragged me to the training room right after the conversation with Mr. Creepy and Wrinkles had decided to train me with a little interesting run and dodge exercise. The problem was that:

I had no weapons. (Cranky Grievous refused to give me one of his light sabers.)

I don't have lots of stamina.

He forgot to tell me that the enemies were armed!

"You'll not be allowed to rest, until you complete the course!" Grievous ordered from the distance.

"I can't believe the Emperor had the balls to think of this training as some family get together," Bane scoffed.

"It's not like I wanted this too…"

I stole a glance at Bane's direction, hearing his thoughts being played out in my head. _And that Emperor sure is getting crankier by the day…_

Then I switched to hear Grievous' side of the story. _What was he thinking? Ordering us to teach some… some useless girl who knows nothing about fighting and honor?_

I shook my head at the both of them. _'Well at least I know my mind-reading powers are still working.' _

Then their thoughts turned into frustrated rambling, followed by yet another glaring competition against each other.

'_Somewhat…_'

A bright idea popped into my head, and I grinned cheekily. "Hey guys!" I yelled.

The both of them snapped their heads to my direction.

"If this was some sort of family get together, then which one of you is the mama?"

Hostility flared from their eyes and I knew that trouble soon began with more lasers dodging and hurting. Since I'm here, at least I should enjoy it…

Until I figure out a plan to escape, that is.

###############

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Will Claire escape from the clutches of the Sith? What about the shrinking Jedi? And what about poor Plo who will soon learn the wrath of Soltaria on wheels or wings?

Claire: Geez, cut the melodrama already…

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh I'm afraid that the melodrama has just begun, my little OC! And its not just drama raging, but hormones too!

Claire: Say what?

Rex: (Pops by) Hey Hikaru, have you seen (Spots Claire) – Oh God! Claire! (Rushes over to her, only to get K. by a huge rubber hammer from nowhere.)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Woot! 100+ damage! XD

Rex: X_X (Totally pwned)

Claire: What the heck? O_o

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Review and no flames! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^w^


	5. The randomness goes on!

**Chapter 5: The randomness goes on!**

_Entry log: It's been awhile and poor lil Artoo is locked up, while I'm forced into dangerous obstacle courses by Grievous and Bane (AKA the de facto teachers in my training to be the Emperor's apprentice). But the thing is… I don't wanna be that crazy dude's student! But for now, Artoo and I are held hostages against our will. And Soltaria… she's getting all the good stuff as a Jedi! Damn it!_

Soltaria: Poor Claire-Bear and Artoo! (Turns to Hikaru) Can't you speed up the story a little to the part we rescue her?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well sue me for the fact that I have very slow typing speed. (Raises numb fingers) I spent hours on that last chapter! It's not easy when you're multi-tasking with other projects, you know!

Soltaria: Screw your other projects and update your fanfic for God's sake! (Gasps) No, no, no! Shouldn't say the Lord's name in vain!

Ahsoka: Erm, guys? Who's going to do the disclaimer today?

Ventress: (Aims light saber near Ahsoka's throat) That would be me.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Ventress! Have you forgotten our deal?

Ventress: (Grudgingly moves light saber away)

Ahsoka: A deal? How did she convince her of all people?

Soltaria: Hikaru threatened to erase Ventress' existence, along with the whole Separatist army if she did not comply with her non-slaughtering the innocent terms.

Ahsoka: 0_o You mean she could have done that before?

Soltaria: Yeah, but she doesn't wish to abuse her powers. Besides, George Lucas owns Star Wars and all of its other franchises.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Curse you George Lucas! Why did you have to be gifted with such an imaginative mind of a genius? (Laments in a corner)

Ventress: (Rolls her eyes) xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. She also does not own the songs and lyrics posted in this fanfic.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Fine. You can go kill Anakin now; he's in his cell. ^^

Anakin: (Off screen) WHAT?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh wait! You can't kill him.

Anakin: Phew! -_-"

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: But you can torture him. ^w^

Anakin: O_O Say what?!

Ventress: With pleasure. :)

Anakin: NOOOOOOOOOOOO…

Screams of pain and the sound of light sabers echo from afar. Hikaru goes into evil laughter.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Mwahahahaha- Cough! Ahem- Bwahahahahaha!

Soltaria: O.O" Errrr… (Nudges Ahsoka's shoulder) We should go.

Ahsoka: Totally, back to the story! Pronto!

###############

_In space, The Resolute…_

"Look out!" One of the clones cried out before a violet star fighter with white streaks came crashing onto the landing platform. Any crate or unfortunate clone in the way was sent flying out of range, as the ship crashed onto the wall. The crates, which contained grenades, collided onto another star fighter nearby, causing a massive explosion.

"Check for casualties! Send the injured to the med bay stat!" Cody ordered.

"Yes sir!"

The other surviving star fighters landed safely onto the platform with ease. Plo Koon wearily climbed out off his ship as Cody approached him from the distance. "Were there any damage or casualties?" The Kel Dor Jedi asked.

"Just a few men injured…" Cody uneasily turned to the wrecked equipment and star fighters. "Along with heavy damage to the fighters…" He added.

The destructive sight before him appalled Plo. "I have never seen so much carnage since the war in Geonosis."

"Don't get me started on the equipment damage count."

Soltaria climbed out of the beaten up vehicle, her legs visibly shaking from the adrenaline rush. A goofy grin stretched across her face.

"That was awesome! Let's do it again!"

At those words, almost everyone in the hanger groaned or got traumatized. Ahsoka and Rex entered the hangar, only to be overwhelmed by the damage displayed.

"What happened?" Ahsoka asked in disbelief.

"Little Soka, so glad to-"

"Ahsoka!"

The Tortuga was immediately glomped by the wild purple-haired girl. Ahsoka giggled and only realized then that Soltaria was decked in new dark-brown boots and reddish-brown Jedi robes. "Soltaria, did you complete your training back in the temple?"

"Yup!" Soltaria grinned, and stood up. "And I got these clothes for free! Isn't that awesome?"

"Wow, congratulations. But where is your Master?"

"You mean Macey? He's stuck in the healing ward back at the Jedi Temple after a mishap during my training."

Ahsoka grew curious. "What happened?"

Soltaria smiled nervously. "Let's just say that he would have been squashed by me like a cockroach if Yoda didn't found him, Kit and Aayla masking SOS signals with their light sabers."

Cody and Rex were surprised. "Squashed?"

Soltaria's cheeks reddened. "I tried to give him a bouquet as a get well gift, and it turned out to be flowers that shrink people like 'Honey, I shrunk the kids'."

Ahsoka sniggered, with Rex and Cody almost guffawing.

"What's so funny?" Commander Ponds passed by and asked.

Rex jerked a thumb to Soltaria. "This girl just sent your general to the med bay and almost destroyed the hanger."

Commander Ponds just stared at her in shock as she waved with a creepy smile. "Hi there. You want to train with me in my next flying lesson?"

"Errrr… Excuse me," He reluctantly replied before running straight for the nearest exit. Rex laughed harder.

"So how long do you plan on staying here?" Ahsoka asked.

"Technically, Claire-Bear and I got permission to live here as our new home and…" Her voice trailed off to a whimper. Cody stepped back. "Oh boy…" He said.

A mournful wail echoed in the hangar, followed by gushes of tears spurting from Soltaria's eyes as if they were automatic garden sprinklers. Plo was startled, but the others knew the reason their friend was crying.

"CLAAAAAAAAAAAAIRE-BEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAR! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Poor Plo could only ask in confusion. "Who is this Claire-Bear?"

And so, as Soltaira wailed and lamented, Ahsoka provided the details to Plo Koon. Rex remained silent as he watched Soltaira weep for Claire's disappearance. He knew how painful she was feeling deep inside.

"She's been missing for a week and Soltaria has been worried sick," Ahsoka said, watching Soltaria with sad eyes. "They were as close as sisters."

"How terrible…" Plo muttered.

"And all the more she needs us by her side, Master Plo. At least, to assure her that the Separatist won't get away with whatever plans they have up their sleeves."

A high-pitched cry was unleashed from a mournful Soltaria, causing nearby glass to shatter into bits. The others covered their ears at the pitch she was going.

"Well you might want to console her now, before she kills us without lifting a finger!" Rex hastily spoke.

"Or make our ears bleed to death…" Cody added.

Ahsoka gulped, rushing over to Soltaria who had finally stopped the shrill cry and went back to sobbing. Nervously, she bent down to pat the sobbing girl's trembling shoulders. Plo walked over to do the same, nodding in assurance to Soltaria who leapt onto the startled Jedi and cried onto his chest. Poor Plo was so startled, that he was at a loss of what to do. Ahsoka just continued to pat her shaking back in comfort. Rex remained silent in that awkward moment, thankful that his helmet gave no hint of other emotions. Cody shook his head.

"And this is only Soltaria's first day…" His voice was filled with dread.

################

The Emperor idly lifted a holo chess piece from the board, his chin rested lazily on one hand. His bold act of pretended ignorance angered his visitor.

"You know what you are doing is absolutely forbidden."

The Emperor used the Force to move another black pawn over the white pawn.

"I assure you that what I do is most rewarding… Vigil," He said.

The blue entity appeared before him, his presence surrounded by a glowing cerulean aura. "Only in your eyes, Sith Emperor. For the plans you have for Claire and Soltaria will be your downfall."

"I only simply wish to have the same ability as you, my friend."

"You were no longer my friend, when you attempted to conquer all worlds and enslave the people who live in them! You betrayed my trust and faith, and I shall not share my power with you."

The Emperor simply laughed. "I don't need you to complete my plan. All I need are those little girls with their hocus pocus and I'm on my way to conquering worlds in every dimension! Besides, isn't it against your rules to interfere with the affairs of other worlds?"

"Only when they don't threaten the balance and peace of others!" Vigil stamped his foot onto the ground. "Using that sort of power with such ambition will tear the dimensions apart!"

The Emperor turned to face Vigil with a smirk. "Then why did you granted those two such easy access to this world without complain?"

Vigil remained silent as the Emperor licked his lips.

"Oh I'm sorry! I forgot that you're sensitive about that subject, especially with little Claire being somewhat connected to you… and your once alive loved ones."

Vigil wanted to hack down the man standing before him, but the godly entity reined in his anger, knowing full well of the Emperor's twisted ways of driving others to the wall.

"I may not be able to stop you now…" Vigil opened a portal and stepped in.

"But I will find a way to end your villainous plot."

The Emperor smirked as Vigil disappeared and launched into a maniacal evil laugh. "I'll be waiting Vigil! BWAHAHAHA- Cough! Cough! Splutter! Damn it, I'm getting too old for this."

Age had been quite a challenge for even the most powerful Sith. That's why he needed someone young to pass down his empire and skills to, someone who was knowledgeable about this world.

Someone who came from another world.

Suddenly screams of terror pulled the Emperor away from his thoughts of more diabolical schemes. The holographic image of a droid appeared from his holo-com-link.

"Droid, what is going on?"

[My lord, it's terrible- bzzt bzzt- PA room- bzzt- too- bzzt- powerful… ACK!]

An abrupt force cut off the transmission and the holo-com-link went static. The Emperor silently cursed, immediately contacting Ventress via the com-link.

"Ventress!"

The holographic projection of the Sith assassin appeared. [Yes, my Lord?]

"Something has happened in the PA room in the ship, I need you to investigate at once."

[I'm already onto the intruder, my lord. He is none other than my master, Count Dooku.]

The Emperor was bewildered by the news. "How… and why?"

[He broke free of his confinement upon waking up, my Lord. It appeared that his solitary prison greatly _displeased_ him. And despite his disillusioned mind, my master proved to be still powerful as ever.] Ventress replied.

The Emperor was regretting his last words to Count Dooku before he went deranged. Especially the part with getting more sugar into his blood.

"Understandable, I supposed…" His voice was laced with great disturbance. "But what does Dooku want in the PA room?"

His question was answered by the Star Wars Empire theme song playing in the background through the speakers from Ventress' location.

[Dun, dun, dun, dun-DUN-Dun, dun-DUN-Duuun! Dun, dun, dun, DUN-Dun-dun, Dun-DUN-duuuun!]

"Good grief! What is that horrible sound?" The Emperor demanded, blocking his ears from the horrible out-of-pitch voice in the background.

[I believe it is my master singing… My Lord.] Ventress spoke uneasily.

"Well you better get him to stop! Before I suffer from massive ear damage!"

##############

I fell flat on my back against the (surprisingly soft) mattress of my bed. Exhausted, I didn't give a second glance at my room. It's been a week since I got kidnapped and I have been forced to train or get myself into trouble. Don't get me wrong, I had rather freeze in hell than join the Sith, but the Emperor had decided to raise the stakes by not just threatening my life, but the life of Artoo and any friends who had decided to foolishly rescue me as well. Not wishing to endanger any of them and dying by the blade of a light saber, I complied with the training. Initially, I was locked in this infernal room until training or mealtime came. But as time passed, I was granted with some freedom to roam around the ship. Artoo on the other hand, was held in the prison cell in my room. As much as I had like to free him, only the droids or anyone under the Sith, had the jail code. Plus, I couldn't afford risking chances without a good plan. Sadly, my last attempt landed me in the same room with a group of assassin droids, who proceeded to chasing me around the ship for hours and would have slaughter me if Grievous had not intervene.

"If I catch you escaping again, I'll leave the droids to end your sorry life!" He barked at me. And he would have if Ventress had not reminded him of the Emperor's precise order of keeping me alive.

Bane on the other hand thought of it as entertainment. Also, contacting Soltaria was not the greatest idea since I had no freaking clue of where the hell I was. In order to cure the boredom for both our sakes, I spend some time telling Artoo about what has been going on, along with any news on the Emperor's plan.

Artoo beeped impatiently having hours to kill for another story. I sighed, continuing my tales to the droid as a mother would to her kid. Pretty soon, my mind flashbacked to certain memories from a list in my mind:

**The Dummy's Guide to becoming a Sith**

**Step 1: Dress to kill**

When it comes to clothes for the Sith, they sure have a fetish for everything that's blood-red, black, hooded and revealing. After that whole grueling training with the droids (No thanks to grumpy Grievous who can't take a joke), my clothes were scorched with laser burns and cuts. Since I had no other clothes with me, the Emperor had dispatched a few droids to get me some new clothes.

"I'm not wearing THAT!" I yelled, pointing to the clothes that consisted of a V-necked black sleeveless, robe-like top, dark crimson arm guards, matching knee-length boots and a skirt that was not even knee level.

"No offense miss, but you have to wear it. The Emperor's orders," The droid flatly stated.

I looked at the clothes with much distaste. '_What a perverted old man…' _

"Well tell him that I had rather wear a big fat Hello Kitty costume than that!"

Out of the blue, Ventress entered the room; a nonchalant superior face was plastered on her features. "These belonged to our last stock in the ship and we have very limited clothes for women now."

"Seriously? I thought you guys have more clothes than this?"

"We did, until our deranged patient had decided to empty our laundry and new clothes into an airlock before shooting it into a Naboo Sun. So unless you want to go stark naked, I suggest you take it or leave it," Her voice was laced with venom."

Knowing full well of whom she was referring to, I stared at the clothes before me in deep contemplation. I even checked her thoughts to find that she was telling the truth.

"Sew in some shorts, and I'll take it," I grumbled.

A lot of people were looking at me up and down in my new attire. At my next training session, Grievous and Bane stared at me with totally different reactions. While Grievous remained indifferent, Bane had his trademark smirk pasted on his face.

"Wow, black does suit you," He remarked. "Now all you need is a larger chest and a taller figure to become one heck of a hooker."

It took all of my will power not to kick him in the nuts again at that comment.

**Step 2: Practice with your next-to-be super cool weapon**

It's really a spoilt for choice subject, but when you have stingy teachers like Grievous and Bane, it's hard to get a good weapon for yourself. Seriously, the only time they ever let me use one was during training! Although I had to admit, they were slowly getting used to me with borrowing their weapons. But whenever I asked them what made them change that way, they would just come up with some lame excuse.

"I'm only loaning you one of these light sabers because you don't have one. And these are my trophies from numerous battles, so you **better** be careful with it!" Grievous nagged.

As for Bane, he would just say: "Just because the Emperor favors you as his future apprentice, doesn't mean you get _special_ treatment from me."

During one training session, I was beat tired due to my horrible stamina. But despite that, I did my best to put up a good fight against Grievous.

"She's beating you, Droid," Bane lazily said. I glared at him as his words spurned Grievous to go full-out Jackie Chan on me. Heck I was only lucky to get a few burns on myslef, swinging the light saber frantically to block the blows as if it was my Wii remote.

"You are improving fast for a youngling like you. Are you sure you have never wield a light saber or a sword before?"

I shook my head as a reply.

'_Only in the Wii! Man, and I thought I could kicked your butt easily just like in Light saber duels!_'

Grievous gazed at me solemnly as I brought up the light saber again, only to trip over my feet and land flat on the metallic ground. My body felt numb and I struggled to get up. Seeing this, Grievous yank me up to my feet, glaring at me with reptilian amber eyes. "Are you giving up now, youngling?"

I stared back at him with determination and a cheeky smirk crept on my lips.

"Hell no."

Grievous' eyes melted into intrigue and he threw me to the ground. I winced at the impact of my butt with metal. He left me in the training room without a word. For the next few days our only conversations involved barking orders, pointers in training and weird awkward nagging moments.

Bane however, was anything but merciful for the training. My first target practice session with him landed me in humiliation instantly. I was gullible enough to believe that I won't get hurt; since he assured that none of the droids would attack me. However, since I lack the knowledge of using a real gun, I had forgotten how strong the recoil could be when firing laser bullets, causing my hand to jerk and the gun to hit me on the nose, hard. To add insult to the injury, Bane purposely forgot to warn me about it.

"I don't think you can even handle a pistol at this rate!" He laughed as I held my throbbing nose.

My dignity was salvaged after much practice; I got used to the gun and managed to shoot down 50 droids without harming myself again. As I returned his gun, Bane eyed me curiously. "Are you sure you never handled a gun in your life?" He inquired.

'_Puh-Lease! The only gun I ever used was a light gun in Time Crisis 4. Maybe even in Silent Hill, House of the Dead and Halo…_'

"Nah…" I said.

He leaned closer to my face. "Really?"

'_Sheesh! What do you want to know, my accuracy rate?_'

I jus stared back, dumbfounded by his solemn reaction.

'_Hmmm, my latest record was 60-70%, I guess… Would have been higher if Soltaria didn't distract me with her miko cosplay karaoke contest._' I shuddered at the memory of her opera voice and it's deadly consequences.

"What's the matter?" I gasped, as Bane's face was inches from mine, a playful smirk formed on his lips. "Am I distracting you now?"

Glaring, I stomped on his feet, causing Bane to howl and hop around while holding his injured feet. With a huff, I stormed off. "You wish!"

**Step 3: Make Friends and Handle the Foes**

When you're in enemy territory, it's practically normal to find lots of guys who are ready to slice your head off or shoot you in the face. In my case, I don't really like most of them either- I had rather kick their ass then say 'Howdy' to them anyways. But having people you can trust can be of a great asset, especially if you need to defend yourself from people who hate you for your guts. Most preferably the big boys and not the ones who had betray you in a nano-second.

Nute Gunray was one of the many characters that I found a pain in the ass. Not only does he complain, whine, cower in fear, insult and betray others but he also mistook me for some slave hooker to entertain the Separatist officers!

"Hello slave… why are you hanging around with that '_Droid_'?" He leered.

Knowing whom he was referring to, I scowled at Gunray with every intention to kill him; Also because Grievous was also one of my favourite characters. "First of all, I'm **not** a slave. Second of all, General Grievous is **NOT** a droid. He's a living respected warrior and if you dare insult him one more time, I won't hesitate in hurting you in ways you had never imagine."

"Touché! I don't recall Dooku getting a new apprentice of sorts! And given his current condition, I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow you for some of my clients, Slave," He sneered, obviously not believing everything I had just said.

I had kicked him in the balls if Grievous didn't showed up and helped me scare him off. I swear he wasn't known as the fearsome Droid General for nothing. All he had to do was just clear his throat and shoot his glare of Doom to send Gunray running and squealing like a sissy.

"Thanks," I told him. But he just gave a cough and grumbled in reply.

Speaking of Grievous, I recently found something hidden under my pillow last night. It was a silver light saber. The hilt was engraved with something, but I couldn't make out the cryptic symbols carved on it. When I activated the light saber, a blue glowing rod shot out. I'm beginning to suspect that Grievous had something to do with it; I just don't understand why he would give it to me.

Despite Artoo's dissuasion, I went to visit Count Dooku in his ward.

Yes I know, why would I bother to talk with some crazy old Sith Lord who had lost his marbles? You want to know why? Because I was bored, duh!

Of course, I kind of pity the old man. I mean, he wouldn't flip after being locked in a room for days? As a social worker, Soltaria told me that senior people need support from their loved ones; otherwise they had succumbed easily to depression, loneliness and… yes, even that damn Alzheimer's disease. Sadly, loving and caring doesn't work for the baddies. Heck, they had shoot Barney straight in the face rather than hug him. (No offense to all Barney lovers…)

Then again, if it weren't for that disease, Dooku might have electrocuted me with his Force Lightning the moment I stepped into his room. But it was also because of that disease, that he mistook me for his so-called Great grandniece and rambled about me not visiting him for light-years. But our relationship sort of mellowed after talking with him. Dooku turned out to be a nice guy when he's harmless and random.

'_Man! That dude has lots of relatives! Could they be from a harem or something?_' I tried reading his mind for that, but all I could get were random gibberish.

Ventress, on the other hand, wasn't exactly in favor of me getting on Dooku's good side. She still had that crazy belief that I was scheming to end her master's life, one way or another. Yup, I was definitely on her next hit list. And I still don't know what the Emperor was up to… except that it involved Soltaria and I in probably another gaining more power plot.

And then there's Bane. Bane, Bane, Bane…

Cad Bane was already ranked as No.2 in my **most wanted to kill** list. No.1 was reserved for mean ol' Emperor, who I would seriously love to kick his ass into space and let him die with from lack of air. But Bane took the cake for what happened today. He didn't show up for training and none of the droids were around, so I decided to do my own exercise. All of a sudden, "The Sailor Song" by Toy box was played through the speakers along with Dooku's horrible pitch.

"So if we ALL COME TOGETHER! We KNOW what to DO! We all come to get JUST TO SAY WE LOVE YOU~"

The song caught me by surprise, but then I soon realize that there was only one thing that had that song in this world: My I-Pod.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!" I rushed out of the door, pushing droids out of the way. Finally finding Bane leaning against the wall in a narrow hallway.

"You don't have to yell, I can hear you just fine," he replied with in a nonchalant tone.

I mashed my teeth together. "Cut the whole innocent act, Bane! You found my I-Pod back gave it to Dooku, didn't you?"

"I-Pod?"

I slapped my forehead. "It's a device that plays music. The same one I used back at the pub in **Coruscant**?"

"I was going to give it back to you. But he offered me a better price."

I grabbed Bane by the collar. "You **sold **my I-POD?!" I almost screeched. "_MY_ I-Pod?"

Bane grabbed my hand and pinned me to against the wall roughly. "Finder's Keepers, Claire."

"Damn you, Bane!" I struggled, but to no avail. Then the song, "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin was played aloud. Let's just say Bane came up with a crazy idea.

"Claire."

"What?"

Bane lashed his hands out and grabbed me by the wrist. The next thing I knew was that his arm snaked around my waist and we were dancing in a tango waltz to the song. Strangely, Dooku was actually singing the song right for once!

"Outside inside OUT! Livin' La Vida Loca!"

"Bane! Let go of me!" I insisted. Ignoring my pleas, Bane flashed a smirk. For a jerk, he sure knew how to dance! He spun me around before pulling me close to his body, causing blood to rush to my cheeks. '_Okay, I did not think that Bane could dance like that! Maybe he should try dancing to Womanizer…_'

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Bane leaned me down, before pulling me up again for our gazes to meet. "I bet your Clone Boyfriend, can't do that," He huskily spoke.

I blushed madly and tried pushing him off me. "Bane please… let go!" I pleaded.

Instantly, I was pushed against the wall roughly, earning a moan of pain from my lips. Bane leaned forward; his crimson eyes stared back at my own black ones. "Damn it… let go already!" I shouted.

Suddenly, his lips dived to my neck and I yelped as he nibbled at my skin. His hands held my wrists as he left a trail of kisses and soft bites from my collar to my earlobe. "Ba- Mmph!" His hand muffled my words.

"Ssh… Listen, Claire, I-"

I bit his fingers hard and he howled in pain, letting me go instantly as I elbowed him in the gut. He cursed as I escaped his clutches yet again. My heart pounded from the scene.

'_Damn it! Why is Bane always trying to do this to me?_'

And to think that he was once my favourite character.

##############

"You know, you fail terribly at wooing women," Grievious flatly stated.

Bane grouchily sulked as he bandaged his once again bitten fingers. They were now in the ward of Dooku, who was now sipping tea on his bed after the med-droid gave him some drugs to suppress his hyper-activeness.

"I don't know what's wrong with my skills lately! Usually women would throw themselves at me after some chitchat."

"You mean those desperate filthy prostitutes in your pubs?" Grievous scoffed.

"Says the Kaleesh who once had 10 wives and spawn countless children," Bane replied sarcastically.

Grievous glared at him, while Dooku stared at the droid general in awe. "Slave! You have a harem?"

"Shut your-" Grievous paused when he realized that he almost yelled at Dooku and grumbled to himself. Bane arched his brow. "You actually controlled your temper. That's new."

"What are you talking about?"

Bane smirked. "Aaah…"

"What 'Aaah'?" Grievous pressed.

"You have a tiny crush on our student. How cute."

Grievous' boiled with anger and flared up. "I do NOT have feelings for that insolent girl!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm sure! She's rude, sarcastic, doesn't give a damn to her superiors, wild and uncontrollable…" Grievous' voice trailed off suddenly. As if he just remembered something.

Bane's smirked widened. "And yet cute when she's angry or compassionate when no one else notices?"

Realizing that Grievous was not paying attention, Dooku gave him a huge slap on the back, causing him to cough and splutter. "Slave! Stop day-dreaming!"

"I'm not!"

Bane held his hands up in defense. "Boy, it looks like you guys need some time alone. So I'm outta here."

As Bane left the Droid General and his Sith Lord, Dooku turned to Grievous, who was facing the wall in solemn silence. "So do you like her?"

Grievous knocked Dooku out with a punch and the Sith Lord was sent in a daze. "Look at all the hot-cross buns…" Dooku mumbled before falling into unconsciousness.

Grievous grunted and faced the wall again. Even he found himself acting out of character once in awhile, and he found it quite baffling. He didn't see Claire in a romantic way at all. She just reminded him of someone from the past, someone who he had always remembered as his closest comrade.

Someone who was as wild and a force to be reckoned with as Claire.

"Ronderu…"

###############

"And that's how I sent Bane cursing down the lane," I said.

Artoo beeped in a giggling fashion, rolling up and down as if he had stitches. I smiled, remembering the I-Pod now in my possession. Who knew that the word "Please" could go a long way?

"Don't worry Artoo. We'll get out of here, as soon as I figure out a plan."

Artoo beeped in agreement. Then, the door slid open to let in a droid with a tray.

"Supper is served," The droid said.

I accepted the tray and just then, I notice two droids at the corridor as the door closed. Their conversation was loud and clear.

"Are you sure you got the directions right?"

"It's the hangar in the south exit with the bounty hunter's ship. We just need to head down straight and then turn left," The other droid explained.

"Roger, Roger."

My eyes scanned the room and noticed an air vent panel. Then I felt my right pocket for the phone and an idea came up.

"Hey erm, droid?"

The droid who gave me the food tray looked up. "Yes?"

"Can you unlock the cell Artoo is in? I think he needs and oil change, really badly."

I winked discreetly at Artoo. As if he caught up with my idea, Artoo began beeping in a puppy-dog moan.

"I don't think I can…"

"Pleeeeease? Otherwise he would have to spill oil over the floor, and you would have to clean it up," I pouted and Artoo beeped in a sad tune again. "You don't want that, do you?"

The droid paused, reluctantly taking out its card key and walked over to the prison cell, swiping the card at the electronic lock. As soon as the barrier came down, Artoo shot out from the cell and I grabbed my light saber.

"What in the name of-"

With a swift slash, the droid was cut into half horizontally and fell apart. Artoo beeped in relief and I nodded.

"That's right, Artoo. We're getting out of this hell hole."

##############

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Finally! This chapter is done!

Claire: And I'm getting out of the Separatist ship!

Ahsoka: But didn't the Emperor mention that he could sense your presence in the ship?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Grins) Find out in the next chappie, Ahsoka!

Claire: I don't know what you're up to, but I'm fine with it! I'm getting out! Woot!

Artoo: (Beeps happily)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Also, thanks to the huge response. Don't miss a special Dance off in the next chapter! Please review and no flames! Ciao!


	6. Dancing Escapee

**Chapter 6: Dancing Escapee**

_Entry log: Finally! Artoo and I are getting out of this hellhole! Although I had to admit that learning from Grievous and Bane was entertaining. (Snickers) Plus, I got this super duper cool light saber (and I got my I-Pod back)! Score! But I guess I do feel kind of bad for Grievous (And senile Dooku), earning his trust and betraying him just like that… Why the heck does he seem nicer to me? Why does the Emperor want me to be his Apprentice? And why the hell does Bane keep trying to hit on me?! Unless he- EW! I don't want to think about it! Once I get back… Oh yeah! I need to teach 'Annie' (LOL! Girl name!) a lesson!_

Ahsoka: About time she and Artoo got out!

Soltaria: Well-said Ahsoka! Even the fans are dying to see this part.

Reviewers: YEAH!

Cody: Same for the clones.

Clones: YEAAAAH!

Rex: (Glares) Some, obviously for the wrong reasons…

Clones: HEY!

Ahsoka: Aww… Rex is jealous

Fans & Clones: OooooooOOooh!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Geez, I'm getting a headache just from listening to all of you whine and cheer…

Soltaria: So where's today's disclaimer?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Late, but he should be here soon.

Soltaria: Who?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: 3… 2… 1…

(SFX: KABOOM!)(Clouds of smoke appear and coughing was heard. Everyone jumps back to find a figure appearing from the clouds of smoke)

Emperor: Cough! Cough! Stupid smoke bomb…

Ahsoka: Masters! The Sith Emperor is here!

(Jedi masters and clones aim their weapons at him)

Emperor: What the- Aw crap…

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Say your disclaimer and you get a 5 minute head start to escape.

Emperor: No way! I'm the one with more power than you!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: And I'm the one with the imaginative idea of erasing you from existence in this fictional world, if you don't comply with my order. Now shut up and do the damn disclaimer before I destroy your whole Empire!

Rex: You could do that? O_O

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Yeah, but even authors like us have rules to follow, like… (shifty eyes) copyright.

Emperor: (Fast-paced tone) xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. She also does not own the songs and lyrics posted in this fanfic!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: That was a little too fast, but alright.

Emperor: Finally! Adios Muchaos! (Runs off as everyone chases him)

Ahsoka: Adios Mucha- What? 0_o

Soltaria: O_o Did he… just speak Spanish?

Claire: And I thought Grievous was the Spanish one.

Everyone: O_O

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Erm, Claire. You came a _little_ earlier than expected.

Claire: Crud. Let's skip to the story now!

#################

"Man… The General seemed edgy for his training with the girl."

Two pair of droids walked down the hallway towards the room where the hostages were held. Their mission: Chatting over guard duty.

"Better not let him hear that. Otherwise we might just end up as scraps for that Bounty Hunter's next shooting practice," The latter droid said. "I mean, did you see what he and that girl did to the last batch? They went down like holo-pins!"

"Tell me about it. Rocco got selected after pissing the General off when he knocked into him by accident," The first droid replied dreadfully as they reached the door, loud music boomed from inside the room.

"You hear something?"

"Nah, the prisoner just plays her music in that thingamachigy a lot. See? You can even hear her talking to the droid over the music." Sure enough, a female voice was heard rambling over the loud song. "…And guess what, Artoo? That jerk, Bane tried to hit on me! Again!"

_I'm so over it, I've been there and back_

_Changed all my numbers and just in case you're wondering_

_I got that new _

_I'm a single girl swag_

_Got me with my girls and we're singin' it... Sing!_

"And that Emperor… when will he understand that I'll never work for him? Screw his plans! I got my own rights!"

_Na na na na hey, na na na na hey_

_Hey hey hey_

_Goodbye_

_Na na na na hey, na na na na hey,_

_Hey hey hey_

_Goodbye_

"Hey, the tune's quite catchy," The latter droid remarked, and began to dance stupidly to the techno beat. The other droid smacked his forehead, muttering to himself, "Dancing is so not in your programming…"

What they didn't see was two shadows sneaking away from them by the corridor further down the hallway.

################

"That was close," I whispered as Artoo beeped softly in relief.

Making our way south through the supposed hangar. Artoo beeped, seemingly annoyed. "I know I'm sorry that we had to sneak out through that cramp air vent. Luckily it could take your weight with all those other pipes supporting it from below..."

Artoo beeped worriedly. "Don't worry Artoo," I assured him with a smile. "We still got our plan B if things go wrong. You can access other systems and download stuff right?"

Artoo beeped cutely in agreement and I smirked. "Good, but first, we need to find our escape ride."

Just then, the footsteps of droids were heard distinctively from the nearby left corridor. I stopped, hiding behind the corridor. The footsteps grew louder, along with their talking.

"Roger, Roger…"

Much as I had like to curse my luck, I knew there was no time to curse and bawl "Aw Man". My eyes search frantically for an escape, but there was none. To add on to the stress, the droids seemed to have heard Artoo's squeaky beep of surprise when he bumped against my leg.

"Did you hear that?"

I glanced to poor Artoo, who would have given an "Uh-Oh" beep, if the droids did not appear before us.

_Crap. Now what?_

##############

"What do you mean Claire had mysteriously disappeared?" Grievous growled at the droid who was standing in front of the door of a now empty room.

"Err, you see. We were going to check on her… but we heard her music and talking, so we thought that she was fi-"

"Get to the point!"

"Roger, roger…" The droid turned to his partner who held out the hand phone in his hand. With a push of a button, the recorded music and talking replayed itself.

[…Screw his plans! I got my own rights!]

Grievous glared at the strange device as the droid stated in a matter of fact tone, "Recorded transmission, sir."

With a roar, Grievous whacked the droid away, sending it crashing against the wall. "You idiots! Find her NOW!" He ordered.

"R-Roger, roger!" The other droid sped away in fear, while Grievous stormed towards the main bridge to contact the Emperor. He cursing and bellowing in a rage along the way.

"I trained her! Gave her my respect! Threatened her if she dared escape! And now she decided to just _leave_? Tha-That insolent…"

"Brat?"

Grievous whipped around to find Bane leaning against the door to the main bridge, twirling the gun with his fingers. Bane shoved the rifle down his hostler on his belt and tipped the brim of his hat.

"What are you doing here?" Grievous demanded.

"Droids were going amok searching for her. Besides, you were complaining so loud that I could hear you light years away.

Grievous coughed and they entered the ship bridge, sending a transmission to the Emperor via holotransmission. The blue holographic image of the Emperor appeared, seemingly sipping a cup of tea.

"Having trouble with Claire again, I suppose?" He guessed.

"You have no idea," Bane joked, earning a glare from Grievous.

The Emperor laughed and sipped his tea again. "Pray tell."

Both cyborg and bounty hunter turned to each other, daring the other to declare the news. "Well?" The Emperor asked.

Getting impatient, Grievous groaned while Bane smirked in victory.

"She escaped."

The Emperor almost sprayed tea like a water fountain, coughing and slapping his chest to calm himself. He glared at them from under the hood.

"She WHAT?"

"She escaped, and now the droids are searching for her, my lord."

"Y-You Buffoons! You f***ing useless fools!"

Surprised by his outburst, Grievous simply blinked whereas Bane eyed him with a sarcastic smirk on his lips. "Hmm, now which droid do I know swears like that?"

Grievous glared at Bane, this time ready to tear him apart. "You son of a-"

"Enough! I'll track her down myself!" The Emperor closed his eyes and concentrated in finding Claire via the Force. His mind searched the contours of the ship, every room and every ship.

But to his surprise, he could not find her.

"What is wrong, my lord?"

The Emperor tried again, refusing to believe what was happening. And yet again, there was no sign of the girl. Was he losing his touch? He wondered. No matter what he did, something seemed to be blocking the girl's presence in the Force.

"My Lord?"

The Emperor opened his eyes in disbelief, sweat formed on his face, neck and palms. He stared at the moisture in disgust, knowing that it reeked of the emotion he disliked himself to feel: fear.

"Oy! Anybody home there?" Bane hollered impatiently.

Grievous was about to bark at him again when the Emperor finally muttered something. "What?" Bane asked.

"Find her… FIND HEEEEEEEEERR!"

In another room, Dooku shot out from his bed, blinking in contemplation of the loud screech. "Is someone in labor of something?" He muttered to himself.

#############

Artoo and I stood rooted to the ground as the droids aimed their blasters at us.

"What are you two doing here?" The first droid with a yellow painted head asked.

"I… Erm, well you see…" I paused, my mind pondered over any ideas that came up. '_Visiting Dooku? Meeting the Emperor? Seeing Bane- Eww- or Grievous?_'

Sure enough, my inner chibi self held out a clipboard with the best excuse I could offer. "… General Grievous ordered me to meet him in the South hanger with Artoo here…" Artoo beeped at his name. "And he said that I need him for my next training session with Bane later. But we got lost on our way."

The droids exchanged questionable looks, while one of them spoke up nervously, "But the South Hanger is full of ships and cargo. Isn't that a little too dangerous?"

I narrowed my eyes, leaning dangerously close to the droid's face and putting my hands on my hips. Donning the Grievous' Glare, I did my best to impersonate him by taunting darkly, "what's the matter? _**You dare question the General's Orders**_?"

To my surprise, the droid actually cowered in fear. "N-No si- I mean- Ma'am!"

A triumphant grin formed on my face. "Good."

"I-I take you to the South Hanger," The droid leader shakily said and led the two of us to our escape route.

'_Bingo…_'

#############

Bane and Grievous rushed down the hallway, armed and ready to catch their escaping hostage. Earlier, they had alerted Ventress to be on the lookout, while Dooku being pretty much useless as they thought, was locked up in his ward. So far, their search was fruitless due to the sudden disability of the Emperor's Force tracking. Droids, magna guards and even assassin droids were deployed to hunt down their elusive prisoner. Meanwhile, Grievous had been informing him about her escape tactic.

"Damn, she's a sneaky one," Bane said as they raced down corridor after corridor.

"That girl picks things up fast, uses everything in her surroundings to her advantage…" Grievous coughed. "Unfortunately, a brilliant fighter and strategist."

"Yeah and you just don't want to admit that she might be better than you."

Bane smirked while Grievous scowled. "You had to teach her all of your sneaky tricks! I swear you spend more time with her than the Emperor in conversations! Unless…" He eyed Bane carefully as they ran down another corridor.

"… Unless you were actually grooming her to be something more."

Bane remained silent; give the cold shoulder as they continued down the numerous hallways. "Remind me again why the Separatist had to have such huge ships with so many corridors?"

"How should I know? I don't design ships!"

"Yeah, you destroy them," Bane contradicted.

Just then, Bane's holo-communicator beeped and he answered the call. "What's wrong?" He asked. The hologram of a droid appeared.

[Sir! We found her! We found the- AAAaaaack!] The transmission was cut off by a light saber slash and the hologram of Claire fighting off droids appeared. Grievous' eyes widened at the light saber in her hands.

"How did she get that light saber?" He demanded, almost yelling.

"Looks like our student decided to steal a last minute souvenir," Bane said as Claire skillfully slashed another droid down.

Grievous unleashed a roar and ran full speed down the corridor. Bane shrugged and ran after him, but not before noticing another combatant in the field from his holo-com projector.

"And now the assassin joins the fray," Bane chuckled.

#############

I ducked as the dual red light sabers slashed across the air. Ventress snarled and launched herself towards me, locking our light sabers in mortal combat.

'_No far! She has two light sabers and better experience!_'

Blue and red blades collided in our heated battle. Artoo had scurried away to find cover from blaster fire while I was praying hard that I don't get my butt whooped and charred by Ventress: the bald wicked witch of the Sith.

_Just die already! You irritating B****!_

And Ventress' thoughts just fuelled her desire to squash me like a fly. But I couldn't give up now; Dying at the Witch's blade was not my way to go. Suddenly an idea struck me, causing me to smack myself mentally. '_Of course! Why didn't I just used the cheat method?_'

I concentrated my mind on Ventress, and quickly lifted my light saber to the right before she could slash me. Shocked, Ventress tried to hack me again, but I blocked off her attacks with ease.

'_Oh Yeah! Bring on the mind-reading!_' My inner chibi self cheered. But I was so caught up in my victory that I didn't see Ventress using the Force to knock my light saber away. "Hey!" I pouted. Swiftly, she dashed over and kicked me behind the legs. My knees buckled to the force and I landed on the ground hard. Getting up, a short groan slurred from my throat.

All of a sudden, I found Ventress aiming the deadly end of her light saber at my neck. I gulped at the evil smirk planted on her morbid pale white face. "Any last words?" She sneered.

The door to the hangar opened and Grievous and Bane appeared from the distance. My eyes darted around to find Artoo making his way to a control panel. Realizing that the droids were too focus on capturing me, I decided to further distract the others for plan B.

"Gee, you guys sure took your own sweet time!" I said.

Grievous stormed over and slapped me across the cheek. I winced at the pain, as Grievous bellowed. "You fool! I told you not to try an escape, but you didn't listen! And how dare you steal _my_ light saber!"

Surprised by his words, I retorted. "I didn't steal it! It was in my room by the time I got in there. I thought you left it for me for my next training."

"Liar!"

"I'm telling the truth, and if you don't believe me…" I leaned close to his face, narrowing my eyes onto his amber reptilian ones. "Look me straight in the eye for the truth."

Grievous narrowed his eyes onto my unflinching ones. I remained still, not moving an inch as our staring competition continued. Anger, distrust and lust for blood filled his eyes, but strangely, I sensed other emotions in them:

Grief… intrigue… pain and… confusion?

"Grievous, stop treating your daughter like a child," Bane remarked, breaking the tension between us. The Droid General scowled at Bane's comment.

"She does not relate to me by blood!"

"Sheesh, can't take a joke, can't you?"

From the corners of my eye, Artoo was only an inch away from the control panel. When he had finally reached it, Artoo let out a few wires and automatically plugged into the control panel. Smiling, I turned around to find Grievous bickering with Bane and Ventress who had picked up my light saber.

"Hey, is that Dooku running stark naked towards us?" I announced aloud.

Everyone's attention diverted in horror to the door, and I swiftly snatched away two light sabers from Ventress- One was mine, and the other belonged to her. Figured that I could give a little payback. She gasped in shock as I wielded the two light sabers and proceeded to hack down the droids in my way: Blue on the right and red on the left. Since I had witnessed Grievous doing this style, I had been secretly practicing on my own after watching them practice. To me, I was simply fascinated by how the light sabers danced in the air, cutting the wind as if it was mere transparent paper; How Grievous' body and arms moved fluidly, dancing with the swords against his enemies just left me in awe.

"Why you!" Ventress screamed in a rage, proceeding to chase me. I was wondering why Bane or Grievous haven't personally tried to shoot or kill me. Regardless, the droids were beginning to shoot at me and the plan had to go on.

"Now ARTOO!"

With a beep, Artoo activated the PA system and "The Hamster Dance" by Blue Man Group began to play. For a minute, everyone paused at the random song being played. Ventress caught up with me, and we began dueling with light sabers.

"Hah! You plan to kill us with music?" She laughed.

I smirked. "Nope, I'm letting someone else take the stage."

At the end of my sentence, a huge explosion occurred from the far side of the hangar. Lo and Behold, a figure jumped out from the massive hole and began dancing and singing. The droids began screaming, as the figure got closer to them. Their fragile metal bodies charred to pieces by bolts of lightning coursing from the Force of one man's bony hands. They were mere flies compared to the powerful Sith Lord, who spun around with lightning fired from his fingertips.

"Bidabidabidabiiibabida-**DOH**! Bidoobidoobidoobidabidabai-**DOOH**!" Dooku sang giddily out of pitch, at the same time laying waste onto the countless droids.

"Oh my GOOOOOODD!"

"He's killing us! Run- EIYAAAAHHH!"

With Ventress distracted, I quickly threw her off with a kick to the gut. "Come on Artoo!" I yelled, running for the nearest ship.

Artoo beeped and was already heading over to the nearest ship according to our plan: Cad Bane's drop ship. Bullet fire came from behind, not just from the droids, but from Bane too.

"Did you think I had let you get away that easily?" Bane glowered.

My eyes fell to Ventress' light saber in my hand, and I sighed. "So much for the souvenir…" I activated the red light saber yelled, "Hey Bane! Catch!"

With a strong swing, I sent the flying light saber at Bane's direction. Seeing my intentions he dodged it, but the poor droid behind him got sliced into half. I clamored into the unlocked drop ship, with Artoo plugging into the some panel at the back inside.

"Get the girl! Don't let her escape!" Grievous roared.

My fist slammed onto door button, shutting the door to block laser fire. I rushed to the driver seat, only to stare at the numerous buttons and contraptions on the panel. "Crap! I forgot that I don't know how to drive this thing!"

Artoo beeped in exclamation as the droids make their way to the ship. In panic, I began trying every contraption and pressing every button randomly.

"Man! Where's the freaking start button?"

The crackling of light saber on metal soon grew clear and I began to panic. "Damn it! God help me!"

As if He heard my words, my finger coincidentally pressed a green button, causing the engines to ignite. The next thing I knew was that I was holding onto the steering wheel for my dear life as the ship blasted itself away.

"AAAAAHHH!" I screamed as the ship violently shook about in the hangar before shooting towards space.

"Artooooo! Get the Hyper drive on and set to the Resolute!"

Artoo beeped a 'Waaahooooooo' and did what he did best.

[Hyper drive initiated.]

In a flash, the ship powerfully thrust itself into the far space, where the Sith could not catch us. All I remembered during the whole trip was lots of praying.

#############

Grievous and Bane watched as the ship disappeared into a twinkling light. The droid general let out a roar of discontent and glared at Bane.

"For the record, I say she got that from _your_ side of the _'_family'," He growled.

Bane ignored Grievous' tantrum, and smirked to himself.

The plan worked after all.

#############

_At the Resolute…_

Obi Wan was taking a stroll when he heard music from the clones' mess hall. Curious, he walked towards it and opened the door. To his utmost surprise, Soltaria and a few clones were dancing in some sort of workout on the centre of the hall.

_Young man, there's a place you can go.   
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.   
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find   
Many ways to have a good time._

To make it even more random, they were singing the "YMCA" by the Village People and waving their hands madly in the air, totally in synchronized fashion.

_It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.  
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.  
They have everything for you men to enjoy,  
You can hang out with all the boys..._

The other clones were surrounding the tables, cheering. Ahsoka was clapping and cheering, while Rex and Cody watched with amusement, enjoying the fun. Obi Wan just stood there, blinking his eyes furiously at the scene.

"What in the world are you all doing?" Obi Wan finally managed to ask.

The music was abruptly cut short and everyone turned to face Obi Wan. The dancing clones bowed their heads down in embarrassment, hurriedly running to their fellow clones at the tables. Soltaria grinned, running towards Obi Wan with her stereo player in one hand.

"Yo Obi! We were just having some fun in a mass workout! It's really good, especially for the stress!" She said.

_Obi?_

Obi Wan plainly shook his head with a smile. "I… don't really dance much."

Soltaria pouted. "Aw come on! Just to loosen up for awhile? We barely got time to relax."

"It's really fun, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka said.

"I don't know…"

"Please, please, PLEASE, PLEASSEEE?" Soltaria begged childishly, giving her best puppy eyes. Even the clones were pressurizing him with their stares and banging on the table.

"_Dance… Dance… Dance…"_ They seemed to taunt. After a long moment, Obi Wan slacked his shoulders in defeat. "Oh alright, just this once."

"Than I'm joining in too!"

Everyone turned around to see Anakin with his arms on his hips, a smirk plastered on his face. "Anakin, I didn't know you dance," Obi Wan said.

"I bet you can't dance better than me."

Obi Wan raised a brow. "Is that a challenge?"

Anakin smirked and the two of them made their way to the empty space.

"Ooh! Dance off!" Soltaria announced. The clones soon cleared off more tables, while Ahsoka, Rex and Cody steered clear from the battle arena. "Who do you think will win?" Soltaria asked, while setting up the Stereo.

"Sky Guy," Ahsoka said. "But I'm hoping Master Kenobi can outdo him."

"Hm, maybe General Skywalker's competitive nature may help that," Rex said.

The three of them turned to Cody, who raised his hands in defense. "Don't look at me! I didn't even know they _could_ dance."

After a clone passed a loud hailer to Soltaria, everyone watched the two Jedi intensely, hoping for a good show. Soltaria grinned cheerily.

"Alright you guys…" She began. "Music please!"

And so it began with "You spin my head right round" by Florida feat Kelly. Anakin danced in a hip-hop fashion, moving his shoulders up and down to the beat while he danced. A few clones cheered as he did so. Obi wan looked surprised and was having second thoughts when the next song, "What is love" by Haddaway came. One moment, Obi Wan was standing still; the next he was throwing moves that even he never knew he could do. Awkwardly his feet tapped, his shoulders moved, then his whole body slowly melted to the rhythm. By then, the whole crowd was cheering madly for Obi Wan. Cody stood gawking at his General dancing like a pro. "Go OBI!" Soltaria cheered.

"Maybe he does stand a chance…" Ahsoka whispered.

Rex laughed and elbowed Cody by the rib. "So aren't you going to cheer him on?"

"I cheer. Silently…" Cody muttered under his breath.

It wasn't long before Anakin's competitive side took over during the Dance off. The two Jedi battled to hip-hop and break-dancing with Anakin dancing to "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice and Obi Wan dancing to "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. Things got really intense when Anakin break-danced to "Can't touch this" by MC Hammer. As Anakin finished his dance with a triumphant handstand, Obi Wan was clearly fidgeting nervously until two people actually encouraged by shouting, "JUST DANCE ALREADY!"

Everyone gasped as this time it wasn't just Soltaria who actually cheered for Obi Wan. "C-Commander Cody?" One clone finally stuttered. The supposedly serious clone with yellow stripes just chuckled nervously and shrank back to the crowd to a surprised Ahsoka and smiling Rex. A gloomy atmosphere hovered over Cody. "The troopers aren't going to take me seriously anymore… aren't they?"

"You did good, Cody," Rex whispered, comforting the embarrassed Clone commander by patting his back. "You did good…"

Out of the blue, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga played from the stereo and Obi Wan just… well… Danced. Literally.

"WHOOoooooooOOOOOOoooo!" Everyone cheered as Obi Wan did the worm.

Anakin on the other hand, thought of this as a challenge. "Damn… You dance well…"

"Same to you," Obi Wan smiled.

"Well then, I guess we'll need to level up the playing field," Anakin kept a smug look on his face as he called out, "REX!"

Rex stiffened at his name. Cody punched Rex's arm lightly. "Go get him, Rex."

Rex grumbled curses under his breath in all the Mandalorian languages he knew. Ahsoka gave him a worried glance. "Will he be okay?"

Cody shrugged. "What could possibly happen?"

"CODY!"

Cody cringed as Obi Wan called him. Ahsoka smirked. "I guess you have your answer now."

A few hours later, the whole crowd was laughing after Anakin and Obi Wan forced (literally) their respective clone commanders to dance. Rex (Much to his embarassment) had to shamefully danced to "Sexy back" by Justin Timberlake with Anakin. Poor Cody on the other hand did the Robot dance with Obi Wan with "Mr. Roboto" by Styx. Ahsoka laughed non-stop, slapping her knees at the scene. "Now I know why they don't want to dance!"

"Yeah! And I'm getting Gold on this!" Soltaria said while filming the whole scene with her new holo camcorder.

However, the dance off was cut short by the arrival of a clone from outside.

"SIR! An unidentified drop ship is approaching us!"

Everyone except for Anakin and Obi Wan froze while the clone stared at the random scene. "Commander Cody? I didn't know you could dance!"

"Never mind that, trooper! Where is the drop ship now?"

Abandoning the two still dancing Jedi, the gang rushed to the hangar to spot the drop ship flying around to avoid getting shot by clone-piloted starships. "Should we shoot it down, sir?" One clone from earlier asked.

Cody placed tapped his fingers on his chin. "We should evaluate its alliance first…"

Ahsoka furrowed her brows together, recognizing the ship. "Isn't that Bane's ship?"

Everyone gasped, except Soltaria who replied, "Who?"

Rex grunted. "The Hutt-slime who kidnapped Claire."

All of a sudden, Soltaria's eyes boiled with anger and her teeth mashed together. "I'll get it!" She eagerly rushed to a nearby starship, shoving a clone aside. "Outta my way!"

"Oh boy…" Ahsoka muttered worridely.

Soltaria started the ship and took careful aim of the drop ship. With a press of a button, laser shot out, only to miss the drop ship and hit the wings of a clone-piloted starship.

[I'm hit! I'm hit!] One of the clone pilots cried out as his starship took a nosedive, crashing into the other clone's star-ship. All the clones stared at the destruction that occurred in the mere five seconds. Soltaria lowered herself onto the seat in embarrassment. "Oops…"

Taking a deep breath, she took a more careful aim and this time fired a shot at the drop ship. "Yes!" She cheered.

But now, the drop ship was heading towards her direction, on its way to a collision with the star ship she was in.

"Oh shoot!" Soltaria leapt out of the ship, barely escaping the crash as she was sent hurling towards Cody. Smoke rose from the crash site as everyone gathered around the drop ship. Fire was put out, and guns were cocked for the prey harbored inside the ship.

"Would you mind getting off me?" Cody grunted.

Soltaria squeaked and quickly stood up. "Sorry!"

The silence was tense for Rex, Ahsoka and the clones that expected the bounty hunter to rear his ugly head again. But there was nothing, but stillness and the smell of charred metal. Ahsoka concentrated on the Force, but detected no sign of Bane, instead, there was nothing. Whoever was inside, was _not _Bane.

"Maybe he didn't survive?" A clone guessed.

Suddenly, a blue light saber shot out from the metal door, slicing a huge hole out of the charred metal. The huge block dropped inside the ship and Artoo lifted himself out of the ship with his boosters.

"Artoo!" Ahsoka cried out in joy and ran to hug the lovable droid who beeped cheerfully.

"I tried to tell them that I meant no harm, but _NOOOooooo_they had to chase me down and shoot me!"

Everyone gasped as a familiar face emerged from the wreckage. The girl with raven hair and opal eyes smiled, decked in black but wielding a blue light saber.

"Hey guys," She said.

############

Soltaria: CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAIRRREE! (Glomps Claire)

Claire: Owww… Soltaria! Stop crushing me!

Ahsoka: (Tackled Claire too) We miss you so!

Claire: Ack! Ahsoka!

Rex: (Hugs her fiercely) Don't you dare go off like that again.

Claire: Rex! Not you too!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Love… so mushy and all…

Claire: Hikaru! Do something!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: That's what happens when you go missing for- (Checks number of chapter extras that Claire had not appeared) Wow… five chappie extra.

Claire: Hikaru!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Now that the gang is reunited, we'll they put a stop to the evil Separatist plans? What did Bane's plan had to do with Claire's escaping? Will Dooku be cured of his senility? And will Anakin and Obi Wan stop dancing? Find out in the next chapter!

Claire: Oy! Dying here!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh yeah, guys! Caramelldansen time!

Claire: O_O Nani?!

All SW characters proceed to stage and began doing the Caramelldansen dance.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Ah wells~ Hope you enjoyed this chappie! Review and no flames! Bye Bye! ^w^


	7. Ups and Downs

**Chapter 7: Ups and Downs**

_Entry log: Today was one whole crazy day. First I had to sneak out of my cell, then I had to outrun and fight Ventress, Grievous, Bane and droids and now I almost got myself killed by the side I was on! I tried to mean no harm, but noooo, they had to shoot first and ask questions later. Why did I not take flying lessons from Bane? Oh yeah, because he's a selfish and cold-blooded asshole who could care less about me! Luckily Artoo and I landed safely, well, sort of… And boy, am I glad to be home with my real family for once!_

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 7! Hope I didn't take too long…

Grievous: (Grumbles) I still can't believe that girl took my light saber.

CB: Oh please… It's only ONE light saber.

Grievous: It was a trophy from my many battles!

CB: Sure, sure, sure… and these credits are trophies from my many missions.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: We'll the two of you stop squabbling and let me get the disclaimer rolling?

Grievous: Not until I get that light saber back from that brat!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: What makes you so sure that she stole it?

Grievous: What are you saying?! Who else could have stolen it?

CB: Others who have light sabers?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Or others who don't but like them? And they live with you?

Grievous: o_O You mean it was an inside job?!

CB: Haven't you been reading the past two chapters, **droid**?

Grievous: (Flares up) Why you- (CB and himself fight it out)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Shakes head) Okay… Disclaimer, please!

(A droid arrives, only to get sliced by Aayla. Kit arrives, tired.)

Kit: But I already did my share!

Aayla: Please, Master Fisto… I get shy with the crowd. (Puppy eyes)

Kit: (Sighes with a smile) Alright Aayla.

Aayla: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock.

Kit: Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. She also does not own the songs and lyrics posted in this fanfic!

Grievous: I'll get that thief! IF it's the last thing I will do! (Still fights with Bane)

Aayla: Sheesh, he needs to learn to… what's the word?

Kit: I believe it's the term that Hikaru, Claire and Soltaria use as "Chill".

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Grumbles) I'm going to give them a time out after this… But to the readers (and fans) enjoy this chapter! ^^

#############

"Claire-Bear!"

Soltaria dashed at full speed and pounced onto me, choking me into a bone-crushing hug. "Soltari- Ack!"

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Ahsoka said that this ship was Bane's!"

"It was- ARGH!"

"My goodness! You look thinner! Don't those Zit dudes ever give you food?" Her fingers shot out to squeeze my cheeks and feel for fats under my arms.

"Actually it's Sith, not Zi- Gack!" I choked as she hugged me super tight around the neck. Oxygen stopped reaching my lungs, leaving me on the verge of dying.

"Waaaah! I'm sorry! It's my fault that those nasty people captured you! Aaaah! Please forgive me, Claire-Bear!" She wailed. It was then Soltaria noticed what I was wearing. "Claire-Bear, is that a skirt you're wearing?"

I blushed furiously, murmuring, "No… I have shorts underneath…"

"Really? Lemme see!"

I squeaked as she lifted my skirt to reveal the _very_ short black shorts that warped tightly around my hips. A clone from the distance gurgled, collapsing onto the ground. Another clone went to check on him, lifting the helmet off. "Is he alright?" Cody asked.

"Just fainted, sir. But he's suffering lot's of blood loss from the nose," The clone replied. Rex's fists clenched at the answer.

"Soltaria!" I growled in embarrassment, pushing the skirt down.

"How could those people make you wear such clothes? Oh you poor thing you!" Being her usual over-protective self, she choked me with another hug.

"Qwuak! Ack! S-S-Soltar-r-ria…"

"Wow, I never knew that one's face can turn that blue," A clone remarked.

"Soltaria, you might want to let her go now," Ahsoka said uneasily.

"Oh come on! Cut me some slack here, I haven't seen her for ages!"

"If you don't, she won't last for even a minute," Rex insisted angrily.

'_What he said!_' I mentally screamed.

Pondering over Rex's words, Soltaria pulled me from her hug. I gasped immediately for air. "AAAHH! I'm alive again!"

"Claire?"

Upon seeing Rex, a smile lifted up on my face. "Rex!"

I ran up to him, hugging the clone captain in joy. Stunned for a brief moment, Rex awkwardly wrapped his arms around my back. "You're back…" He muttered.

"I am," I sniffed. We stood there in each others arms until Ahsoka cut in.

"I… hate to break in the romantic part, but you guys do realize you have an audience, right?"

Noticing that all of the clones were staring at us, the two of us froze and quickly pulled away from each other. Rex scratched the back of his helmet nervously, while I twiddled with my fingers shyly. Shades of red flooded my cheeks (and I could bet the same for Rex, even though he's wearing a helmet).

"Erm… Glad you're safe…" His voice tinted with shyness.

"You too," I replied.

Ahsoka glanced over Bane's wrecked drop ship. "How did you manage to fly the drop ship without training?"

"Oh that? I pushed random buttons and told Artoo to use a hyper drive to get here," I replied with a grin.

Everyone stared at me in shock. "Did you fly this before or something?" Soltaria asked.

"Nah… Anakin gave that command so many times during the Season 1 and 2 that I just repeated what he said."

Rex stared at me dumb founded. "Seasons?"

Realizing what I just said, I changed the subject. "Speaking of Anakin… Where's that dumb skull anyway?"

"Now that you mention it… we left him in the mess hall during the dance off," Ahsoka snickered. "With Master Kenobi."

Soltaria grinned widely and my eyes bulged. "You mean I missed the most epic dance off between two super-powerful Jedi of the future?"

"Did I forget to mention that Rex and Cody took part in it…" Soltaria began with a smirk. "…With some hot sexy moves?"

I turned to Rex in utmost shock, earning an embarrassed nod from Rex, who looked away despite a helmet to cover his blush.

I wailed a cry of outrage. "Curse you, George Lucas for creating such hot guys in Star Wars the Clone wars!"

"Who the heck is George Lucas?" Cody asked. "And did she just called us hot?"

I stiffened as all the clones stared at me even more curiously.

"Relax, Claire-Bear. I got it on my new holo-camcorder."

Now Rex and Cody stared at Soltaria, completely horrified. "You recorded it?" They both shouted in unison.

"Duh, and I'll be-"

"Giving free copies for 30 credits each!" I finished her sentence.

Everyone's jaw dropped and I chuckled nervously. "Force Mind-reading."

She squealed and hugged me again. "But for now, Claire-Bear…"

"It's Claire!" I insisted, my face as red as a tomato.

Soltaria laughed and patted my shoulder. "You have to tell us all that had happen and meet up with the others!"

#############

Bane played with his gun, spinning it around his fingers. The Emperor was infuriated with Claire's escape and Dooku's apparent betrayal. Knowing that he would be sent to search for her again, Bane packed his things up and got ready to rest for the day. He lay on the bed, closing his eyes to think of more pleasant thoughts. But every time he did so, the image of her lingered in his mind.

####Flashback####

Bane was walking along the corridor when he overheard the Emperor talking to Ventress about his plans for the girl. Curious, he kept himself hidden near the door. "I have found the artifacts for the ceremony, my Lord," Ventress said, holding out a crumpled piece of paper and a golden staff with a ruby red jewel perched at one end.

"Excellent. With the map and the staff, I'll be able to empower the 'Terror of Dimensions' and unleash it as my secret weapon upon the many worlds to conquer! All I need now is that girl to help with the ritual."

"What about the other girl?"

"Bah! She's useless! Only a descendant of its creators can activate that weapon!" The Emperor spat. Bane became more intrigued with the conversation.

Ventress nodded. "So do we kill the girl once she gets the job done?"

"Well if she decides not to join the Dark Side…" He smiled cruelly. "Then by all means."

####Flashback####

Recalling the events that had occurred in the past week, Bane couldn't help but gloat mentally with a smirk. To be honest, he felt lucky that Grievous didn't suspect him for stealing his light saber. Yet.

Yes, he was the one who took one of Grievous' light sabers. He was the one who had actually left his own drop ship unlocked. He was the one, who let Claire escape on purpose.

Why? The question always appeared in his mind. Why, why, why?

Because Bane wanted Claire to live. He wanted her to live for so many reasons…

He saw so much of himself in her… he saw potential… so much potential to become a mercenary like himself. He saw her as the perfect partner-in-crime.

"What a waste…" Bane sighed.

When they first met, Claire had treated him as nothing but her No.1 hated jerk. But Bane saw her as someone who he could click with, someone who may share something in common with him in skill, personality and smarts. She had no idea how much Bane wanted her to join him in his many dangerous missions of perils and adrenaline, glory and riches. And that was coming from someone who was always on _his _side of the game.

In that instant, Bane realized that his actions was out-of-character, and began chuckling to himself. He finally understood the main reason for his actions.

"I'm such a fool…"

Even thought she already had someone by her side… He loved her.

"LOVE~ Just~ IS!"

Bane cursed as Dooku's singing began again. _Why did she have to give him that music-playing device?_

#############

I was given new clothes ASAP. They were actually a white, but at least less revealing version of my previous attire. Soltaria actually sewed in a hood at the end, while Ahsoka gave me a new belt and boots for my light saber. Rex gawked for half an hour straight with just one look, much to everyone's laughter. After retelling my adventures, we waited outside the briefing room. Anakin was more disgusted with the number of times Bane hit on me. Ahsoka couldn't stop laughing at how many times I had pissed Grievous off. However, our chatter was cut short as Obi Wan informed Rex to return to his duties. Apparently, the council had been informed of my return and they wanted to talk with me face to face. Being the fan girl, I was very much excited to meet old and new friends.

'_Oh gosh! I can't believe I'm going to meet Master Yoda and Plo Koon again!'_ I mentally squealed then.

Of course, things weren't exactly how I expected to go…

"What do you mean you can't be a Jedi?" Soltaria screeched.

Ahsoka and Artoo just stood shocked as I fiddled with my fingers. "Geez, you don't have to over react guys. I kind of expected it to happen."

"Yeah, but… why?"

I shrugged. "Oh you know… too old for the training… _trained_ with the Sith…"

"But I'm a year older than you-"

"Soltaria."

"Sorry." Then Soltaria's eyes beamed excitedly. "Why not we secretly train together? You know? We can be like… Ninjas!"

"Only one problem." I turned to the side to show my belt. Ahsoka stared horrified. "They took your light saber?"

Oh yeah… Did I forget to mention that the Jedi also confiscated my light saber?

"Well it wasn't exactly mine… since someone actually **stole** it from Grievous and **snuck** it into my room," I replied sarcastically. Despite my 'unaffected'-like mood, my inner chibi self was bawling as much as a kid whose candy got snatched by God. Despite feeling depressed and crestfallen, I tried to stay cool.

_Yoda must have the judgment of a squirrel!_

Most of the time. I rolled my eyes at her mental retort. "No, Soltaria. Yoda does not have the judgment of a squirrel."

"See? How can Yoda not pick you to be a Jedi when you can read minds?" Soltaria exasperated.

"Soltaria, Jedi do more than just read minds," Ahsoka said.

"Oh right! They levitate objects with the force, force-push and force-choke people… Ooh! And Claire! I also got to train with Macey~"

"Soltaria," I snapped.

"Right… sorry…" She smiled uneasily. Out of the blue, Anakin slouched against the wall beside us, sighing lazily.

"What's up with you people appearing randomly out of the blue?" I nearly shrieked, throwing my hands in the air. Anakin stared at me blankly while Ahsoka mumbled to him, "She had a rough day."

He replied with 'oh' before resuming a bored face. "Obi Wan quit the challenge in the end."

We shot him a surprised look. "Really? Why?"

"Dunno… I guess we ran out of moves to use…"

I scratched my head in contemplation, until a sly smirk appeared on my face. "Saay… I know one move you can use."

"Really?" I motioned him over, whispered into his ear. Anakin leaned away, narrowing his eyes at me in suspicion. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just try it now."

"Oh… kay…" He mumbled uneasily, stepping away. Soltaria and Ahsoka exchanged curious looks as Anakin stood still. Within a few seconds, Anakin shaped his hands like a beak, opening and closing them in a rhythm. Next, he shaped his arms like chicken wings and flapped them again. Finally, he wriggled downwards and clapped four times. And all of this was done, with the Chicken Dance song in my head. Everyone in that corridor started laughing and slapping his or her knees at the sight. Artoo beeped bubbly, rotating its head side to side. I was rolling on the ground, hugging my sides that hurt from the laughing. Anakin glowered at me.

"Y-You tricked me!"

"That… haha… was for leaving me and Artoo on Coruscant and haha… in the hands of the Separatists…" I replied in between my laughter.

Anakin grumbled and crossed his arms, glaring at the three of us. Ahsoka sheepishly smiled. "Sorry Master. But Claire might have a point in this."

"What she said!" Soltaria grinned.

"Snips!"

I laughed again, but simmered down under Anakin's glare. "Okay, okay…" But after awhile, the three of us burst out laughing again. Anakin rolled his eyes. "Haha… Very funny…"

"Master, since you guys did all the cool moves, why not you just challenge them to see who could do the best random moves?" Ahsoka suggested.

Anakin paused and turned to meet my cheeky grinning face. "You were trying to tell me that all this time?"

"Duh."

Anakin stared at me in disbelief and then asked Soltaria if he could borrow something. He grumbled thanks before rushing off somewhere.

_Thank God she didn't become a Jedi!_

My back stiffened at his thought, teeth mashed together in seething anger.

"Well at least I'm not a pervert who peeks at Padme while she undresses!" I hollered. Anakin froze at my words, but continued walking down thinking about some new plan to torture me. Artoo nudged my leg and I patted his head gently. "Don't worry Artoo, I'm fine."

_That what she says, but I know that something's troubling her!_

"Soltaria…"

"Okay, okay…" Suddenly, Soltaria's eyes beamed. "Ooh! I know, I know! Let's go find Plo Plo! He owes me flying lessons."

"Plo Plo?" I blinked, turning to Ahsoka, who smiled. "It's a long story."

#############

"Yoda, perhaps it was a little harsh to dismiss Claire Aschlock without giving her a chance," Shaak Ti began. "She is still young."

Yoda sighed deeply. "Skillful in the light saber she is, learn from Grievous and Bane she has… but unfit to be a Jedi she is."

The hologram of Obi Wan tapped his chin lightly. "Technically she was held hostage and forced to train by the Sith against her will."

Mace folded his arms crossly. "All the more we should keep her in our sights."

"Speaking of keeping people in our sights… has anyone seen Master Fisto?" Aayla asked.

#############

_Meanwhile, somewhere in the temple…_

"Hah! I got a four of a kind!" A clone out of the four players slammed his cards on the table, revealing four sixes and a king. The second clone groaned, defeated while the third clone smirked under his helmet to reveal his own set of cards. "Sorry Spence, I got four tens and a five."

Spence groaned. "Aw man! Not again, Hawk!"

Hawk laughed, and then turned to Kit. "What about you General Fisto?"

Kit smiled wickedly and slapped his cards on the table to reveal an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a Ten. The clones gawked at his deadly set of cards.

"It would seem that I have won… a Royal Flush."

"General Fisto! Not you too!"

"Maaaan! Are you sure you never played this game in your life?"

#############

"Then settled it is then," Yoda began. "In the Resolute, she would stay for now."

"Agreed. She doesn't seem to have a strong connection with the Force anyways," Mace solemnly concurred.

Luminara, a woman in black with a yellow complexion pondered thoughtfully. "As reckless as she may be… she _did_ manage to hold her ground against the Separatist and their droid army."

"Grievous, Bane and Ventress included," Aayla added.

"But she is **rude**, **reckless** and does **not** have the potential!" Mace argued with a huff. Yoda shook his head at Mace. "Potential she does have. But not in Jedi or Sith, it is."

Everyone stared at Yoda in utter surprise, as he gazed down to Claire's light saber in his hand.

"Like the_ other_ Aschlock… her destiny in between, it lies."

Suddenly, the hologram communicator beeped. Curious, Yoda pressed a button, only to receive a transmission from a silver C3PO humanoid droid.

[Greetings Jedi Council. A fellow contestant has entered you into the Galactic Crazy Game show held in Coruscant. Your music has been pre-selected so we expect you to arrive at the designated address at the end of this transmission.]

The Jedi Council exchanged horrified glances. "Who could have done such a thing?" Shaak Ti's voice trembled.

The hologram of Obi Wan appeared. [I'll give you a hint, it starts with an A and his last name rhymes with stalker.]

###############

"Whoo! What a rush!" Soltaria said, as everyone clamored out of his or her star fighters. My legs were ready to turn jelly upon stepping on the cold metal floor. Plo Koon had arranged a star fighter for me when he heard the news of my arrival. I was giddy with glee when I heard that I was allowed to learn how to pilot my new sweet ride. It was even in my favourite colors: Blue and White. What astonished me the most was that Rex volunteered to help make the star fighter. I couldn't help but glance at Rex, who was giving orders to the other clones.

During the lessons however, Soltaria managed to obliterate five clone star fighters in the vicinity. Two by collision and three by accidental trigger-happy fingers. Plo was most appalled by what happened, but held his cool. Though, Ahsoka and I could sense that he might have second thoughts in training Soltaria's piloting skills.

'_Major note to self, never let Soltaria drive any vehicle. Be it with wheels or wings!_'

Sweat glistened over my body, as I walked tiredly with wobbly legs. To make things worse, the clones were staring. I hurried to Soltaria and Ahsoka. "Erm, why are the clones staring at us?" I whispered to them uneasily.

Ahsoka glanced to the clones standing around or passing by. "It looks more like they are staring at you, Claire."

My legs almost buckled. I stared at Ahsoka in disbelief.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"What guys? I don't see any…" Soltaria's voice trailed off upon turning around, noticing the clones from behind. "Oh."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Well, they are guys. And we don't usually have a lot of girls here who _act_ like them."

I was astonished. "What? I don't act like them!"

"Claire-Bear, you like video games right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like shooting stuff and kicking ass?" Ahsoka asked.

"Duh!"

"Do you like pink?" My eyes widened at Soltaria in horror. "Hell no!"

Ahsoka and Soltaria grinned in unison. "Then you're officially a female version of them."

I brought my hands to my face, grimacing while my two friends laughed their heads off. We went to the gym to train, but I was beginning to feel uncomfortable after a few clones gathered while I was flipping over bars.

"This stinks…" I mumbled.

"What? The B.O?" Soltaria replied.

"No! That wherever I go… there would always be a herd of Clones, staring at me as if I was some Jessica Alba in a bikini!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air in exasperation.

"Speaking of B.O… Ahsoka, is there a shower room nearby?"

Ahsoka's eyes darted nervously around. "Unfortunately, the private bathrooms for girls are being fixed. So the only bathrooms we have now are in the…"

Soltaria and I leaned our ears closer to Ahsoka, who whispered softly. Both our eyes widened, but Soltaria was the one who exclaimed, "IN THE CLONES LOCKER ROOMS?"

Ahsoka clasped her mouth shut, hissing a long "ssshhh". I crossed my arms, glaring at Ahsoka sternly. "I'm NOT going into a room full of god damn naked muscle-bodied men."

"No we're not. All we have to do is just get in while the clones are out training. We can have the whole bathroom to ourselves then."

"But what if they come back early?"

"They won't. Even Clones have fixed schedules."

Despite the long hesitation, the plan went ahead. The three of us snuck into the clones locker room as soon as all of the clones were dressed and gone. Ahsoka managed to salvage some soap and towels from the shower room. I sighed heavily as the warm water rained down against my skin.

"Aaaaaahhh… that feels good," Soltaria sighed.

"I told you," Ahsoka giggled.

"Yeah, I guess it's not too bad-"

I was cut off by the mental thoughts penetrating my mind.

_Geez… Why did Payne forget to bring his blaster?_

Ahsoka's sudden panic face confirmed that she had sensed the clone's presence approaching. "What's wrong g-"

"Soltaria! Get your clothes! Quick!"

"Huh? But I jus-"

"Someone's coming!" I hissed. Soltaria and Ahsoka quickly dried themselves and donned on their clothes, heading out of the showers. "Claire!" Soltaria whispered urgently as the footsteps grew louder.

"Go! I'll catch up!" I wrapped the towel around my wet body.

With a hesitant nod, they left. I was about to unlock the door when I heard the clone's voice. "Whose there?"

I held my breath as the footsteps stopped in front of the door that obscured me from the intruder's view. "If it's a rookie… Identify yourself!"

I kept my mouth closed as beads of water trickled down my fore head. The clone paused for a while, and then I heard the ruffling of clothes.

"What the- Women clothes?"

I cursed mentally for foolishly leaving such obvious evidence outside. The clone tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "If you don't come out, I'll have to come in!" He said.

Just before I could surrender, the door was slammed down and the clone aimed his gun at me. I stood frozen, hands clutching onto the towel for dear life as the clone lowered his gun awkwardly.

"Y-You're… t-t-that…" He stuttered.

It was then I remembered that I was half-naked, with only a towel to protect me from exposure. Swiftly, I turned around, hiding the red blush on my face.

"D-Don't look! Please!" I flustered.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, moving closer instead of moving away.

"I-I… the showers were being fixed, so I… I thought… Oh God damn it! Just please turn around! I'll explain once you let me change!"

My breath hitched when I felt his hand firmly grab my wet shoulder.

"Ma'am, I-"

For proof that I was a girl, I screamed and socked the clone on the face.

##############

"So let me get this straight, you girls snuck into the clones locker room to get a shower. Then Claire got left behind and socked a trooper who saw her **half-naked**?"

Ahsoka, Soltaria and I (fully-dressed) nodded. Rex held his temples in frustration. "How could you actually try something like that?"

"Rex, we girls have our daily needs too," Soltaria said.

"I'm sorry," Ahsoka apologized.

Rex groaned again, shooting a stern look at my direction. "You're lucky that Razor didn't try anything on you."

"I know, I'm sorry…" I mumbled.

"Damn it Claire… you could have at least inform me or Cody if you needed the locker room…"

"So that you can see Claire naked?" Soltaria teased.

A crimson shade flooded Rex's cheeks. "No! So we can at least guard it from god damn lechers who might want to take advantage of you!"

I searched his thoughts for the truth.

_If those punks ever try anything... I'll pulverize them! Shove them into a Black hole! A Naboo sun!_

"I can take care of myself, Rex. Seriously," I said.

"Claire don't do anything rash until you're sure of it," Rex said, his voice getting edgy by the minute. "And please, stop reading my mind just because you don't trust my words."

I stared at him, completely shocked. "How did you know?"

"I may be a clone, but I'm not that stupid."

With that, Rex stormed off. Ahsoka and Soltaria looked at me, full of concern.

"Claire…"

I didn't say a word. I just stood up and wandered off aimlessly.

For once… Rex's words struck my heart in the most painful way I could ever imagine.

############

_Meanwhile at the game show…_

"Alright everybody! Let's do the random dancing!"

The Jedi Council members exchanged looks among themselves as the inevitable came. Anakin stood smirking as everyone, including Obi Wan glared at him.

"Skywalker… You'll pay dearly for this," Mace muttered darkly.

"First item up!"

The droid turned the stereo on. In the next moment, Shaak Ti, Aayla and a very reluctant Luminara began singing and dancing to Single Ladies by Beyonce.

_All the single ladies~_

_All the single ladies~_

The crowd cheered spontaneously as the girls shook their hips and twiddled their fingers playfully to the crowd.

"Next… Item no.2!"

Mace cursed grudgingly as his step onto the stage with Kit. "Don't worry Master Windu! Just take this as a game!" He laughed.

"But I don't sing… or dance!"

Coincidentally, the two of them began dancing and singing to I Don't Dance by Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel.

_Mace: I don't dance!_

_Kit: I know you can!_

_Mace: Not a chance!_

The crowd started laughing as Kit tried to drag Mace into the dance zone. Only to fail miserably by being flung to the other side by a Force Push.

"Errrr… Item 3!"

Obi Wan stepped onto the stage, feeling pressurized as the stage audience stared him down. Obi Wan's eye twitched as he began muttering something about getting back at Anakin later after this. Regardless, Obi Wan danced to Shake Your Groove Thing by Alvin & The Chipmunks. Throwing groovy disco moves by shaking his body to the rhythm, with his hands pointing up and down. Some girls actually squealed for Obi Wan.

"Wow! That was intense! Let's bring in Item 4…"

Anakin strutted in, flexing his muscles and got ready for his dance number.

"… And Item 5 for an ultimate dance off!"

Everyone gasped as Yoda stepped onto the stage. Anakin gave him a skeptical look. "No offense, Master Yoda, but are you up for it?"

Yoda simply smiled. "Underestimate me, you should not. Young Skywalker."

Anakin started off with I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred, dancing with sexy moves that sent girls fainting one by one. And for the ultimatum, he shook his booty all the way down at the word "Sexy", earning squeals of fandom from the audience. "Beat that," Anakin said smugly.

In an instant, Yoda did the unexpected. He break-danced to "Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy Tell'em. Yoda threw inevery hip-hop, B-boy and break-dance moves ever known in history. As the crowd cheered at his spinning and dancing, the Jedi Council members gawked at him, jaws dropped to the ground. Even Obi Wan and Anakin were at a loss of words after Yoda ended his turn. "Told you not to underestimate me, I did."

"A-And the winner is… Item 5!" The announcer announced.

Let's just say, things weren't the same since then.

##############

Claire: What the hell? That was one heck of a dance off!

xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx: (Grins)

Claire: But why the heck did you have to put Rex and I on bad terms now?!

Grievous: I can't believe you of all people stole it! Like it was something from a convenience store!

Bane: Sheesh, it's not that hard to believe it.

xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx: It's call adding drama for the next chappie. Happy New Year for all! ^^

Claire: Crap! You got something planned for me and I know it can't be good!

xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx: Hee hee hee… to all readers, if you would like to know it soon. Review and no flames! XD

Claire: OOoooy!

xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx: TTFN! Ta Ta for now! ^^


	8. Hocus Love Craze Pocus

**Chapter 8: Hocus Love-Craze Pocus**

_Entry log: It's been three days since I last talked with Rex. Ahsoka said that he just needed to cool off, but I think I need to really apologize to him. Truthfully, I can't blame him for being angry with me. I mean, I did pry into other people's minds, and forgot that intruding into other people's thoughts is… rude. Trust and being mushy is so not my forte. Aaaaaahhh! Stupid, stupid, stupid me!_

(Non-stop knocking on the door)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Alright, alright! I'm coming! (Unlocks door)

Anakin: GET HER!

(SW characters grab Hikaru and tie her up)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: What the hell are you guys doing?!

Soltaria: (Stamps feet) We're here to make a petition for Claire and Rex's relationship!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: And that would be…?

Ahsoka: Please get them back together on good terms… PLEASE!

Soltaria: Before we shoot you into outer space and feed you to rabid asteroid hamsters!

Everyone: O_o

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Hmm… maybe if someone does the disclaimer…

Ahsoka: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists.

Anakin: Except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock.

Soltaria: Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. She also does not own the songs and lyrics posted in this fanfic! Now do it!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Are you sure that everyone wants that?

Soltaria: Of course!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Okay then, those who want Claire and Rex together… raise your hand.

(Soltaria, Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi Wan, Dooku, most of the Jedi council, Artoo, Cody and a few clones raise their hands.)

Cody: What the- How did _**he **_get here?! (Glares at smiley Dooku)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Those who **don't** want them together… raise your hand.

(Bane, Grievous, Ventress, Emperor, some clones and Mace did so)

Kit: MACE?!

Soltaria: Macey! How could you? Bane, Grievous and the others… I can understand… but why?

Mace: Attachments aren't exactly necessary in this case.

(On this date, some wonder if Mace was really heartless and on the Dark side.)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Better work on your mutiny first…

Ahsoka: And now back to the show!

##############

I feel so useless… guilty… and empty. As if my emotions just got ripped out of my very soul. Is this what depression feels like? Is this what it feels when the one you loved says words that hurt you? An empty shell with guilt weighing down onto your shoulders…

What should I do?

What SHOULD I DO?

I don't know… The words… I can't seem to find the rights words…

I don't blame him. It's all because of me. Stupid me. I didn't trust him enough.

I need to find the words… I need to find them and tell him!

Before I lose him… and myself.

##############

Soltaria slammed her palm onto the table, her face full of determination. Surrounding the table were Ahsoka, Artoo and Cody.

"This is the last straw! It's been three days since Rex and Claire last spoke," She began. "Rex has been avoiding her and Claire's stuck in depression. We need to take full action into solving this matter!"

"I say we shouldn't intrude into the affairs of others," Cody said reverently. Soltaria grabbed him by the collar, barking at him, "That's not the spirit! Cody!"

"Why am I even here in the first place…" Cody grumbled.

"Why isn't Sky Guy here?" Ahsoka asked.

"Because he's a jerk and I can't trust him after he lost Claire-"

Artoo beeped repeatedly at Soltaria. "And Artoo. Twice."

Artoo beeped worriedly to Ahsoka, who replied, "Artoo, getting them together to apologize and make up isn't that easy."

"Which is why I am here with a plan!" Soltaria insisted. "Now, listen…"

As the plan gets cooked up, Cody muttered, "I'm not going to like this…"

"Then it's settled. Let Operation: Love And Mushy End commence!"

… _L.A.M.E?_

##############

Rex blasted at the target bibs repeatedly, firing bullets with deadly accuracy and anger. Right now, he just wanted something to vent his frustration on, to keep his mind and rage occupied. The only time he ever stopped was to refill his gun.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

'_Damn it! Why am I always saying the wrong stuff!'_ He thought to himself angrily. The hurt eyes of Claire burned in his memory, so badly that it just tore his heart apart. To be honest, Rex had already cooled off from the events from then. But he was angry because Claire had always been putting herself in danger almost everyday, without giving thought of her survival. Whenever Rex couldn't do anything to save her, he had feel utterly useless.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

And almost everyday, he had found himself constantly worrying for her. Even if he didn't want to admit it.

Just before Rex could pull the trigger again, a firm hand pressed down onto his shoulder. "Rex, I know it's fun to hit the targets, but you need to seriously calm down," Anakin said.

"I'm fine, Sir."

"I don't think a thousand bullets would satisfy what you're feeling now." Anakin glanced to the ripped target bib filled with hundreds of teeny-weeny bullet holes. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Rex hesitated before replying, "No, sir."

Anakin shrugged. "Alright… I'll just go find Claire whose probably moping around, greatly depressed and on her way to committing suicide."

Rex's head snapped at Anakin's direction, his face twisted into shock under his helmet. Anakin laughed. "I'm kidding." Then he turned serious. "But she's really down now."

Rex lowered the gun and cast it aside, sighing heavily. "I didn't mean to hurt Claire, but I just wanted to knock some sense into her. She even used her mind-reading when she didn't trust what I said."

"I don't think that's the case, Rex."

Confused, Rex lifted his gaze to meet Anakin's own solemn one. "I think Claire trusts you the most. As for what she did… She probably trusted you so much that she became worried about your point of view in certain matters. About what you think of her and her actions."

Rex eyed Anakin for a second, wondering where the heck was that commanding and vain Jedi General who used to complain about the same girl.

"Rex, do you truly love Claire?" Anakin suddenly asked.

In that single moment, all the blood rushed to Rex's face. "I… I do, sir."

"So why are you running away from her now?"

Struck by his words, Rex gave a long pause and ran out of the training room. Anakin smiled to himself.

##############

"Where are you guys taking me?" I asked, as Ahsoka led me by the hand. Artoo followed from behind with a cute beep. A blind-fold obscured my view in my surroundings.

"Just a little surprise, and know peeking!" Ahsoka replied cheerfully.

I was about to listen into her mind when she added, "And no mind-reading!"

Sighing and cursing to myself, I left my fate in their hands, wandering around aimlessly. We eventually stopped walking upon entering a cold room. Someone removed my blind-fold from behind and I gasped at what was presented to me.

"Ta-Dah! Your light saber! It was a little tricky to convince the council, but Obi Wan managed to coax Yoda into letting you have it back."

My fingers trembled as I held the light saber in my hands. A strange familiar feeling of warmth seeped into my heart. I clutched the light saber close to my chest, small tears spilled over my cheek. I hugged my two bosom friends tightly; a smile crept onto my face. "Thank you…"

Ahsoka finally broke the silence. "Erm, Claire… about Rex…"

I pulled away from them, letting my gaze wander off. "I know, I need to apologize to him… but…"

"But what?" Ahsoka pressed.

I turned to let my back face them. "It's not that simple. I don't have the right words… What if I mess up and he gets even more angry?"

Ahsoka and Ahsoka kept silent while I clutched my arms. "I don't… want him to end up hating me…" I sobbed.

The long silence crept into the background, tears dripped to the ground. I was scared. I was so freakin' scared now. To admit such emotions in trust and mutual love was so strange, giving me goose bumps. I was at a loss of what to do, but then Ahsoka spoke up.

"He won't hate you… if you speak the words from your heart."

I stood stunned, slowly turning around to meet Ahsoka's glimmering warm smile. She took hold of my hand and patted it softly. "Just tell him the truth, about how you feel. Be sincere. Be yourself."

Artoo beeped in agreement. I stared at Ahsoka in admiration as she got up to leave with the Artoo. "Tell you what, I'll go find Rex so that you can talk to him, ok?"

Gazing at the cheerful Ahsoka, I couldn't help but nod with a meek smile.

##############

Soltaria and Cody waited behind the corridor for Rex, whom Soltaria had sensed approaching. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Cody asked.

"Trust me, I have mastered most of the Jedi tricks. And according to my Master Aka Macey, there's this trick which I can use to do like hypnosis," She whispered back.

"So we just grab Rex, hypnotize him into finding Claire and make up?"

"Yeah, then this whole depression thing will be all over. Capisce?"

"You sure this is safe?

"Hmmmmm… Of course!"

At the long pause, Cody slapped his forehead, shaking it solemnly. "This is never going to work…"

"Ssh! Here he comes!"

From the distance, Rex was running across the hallway towards the corridor. Jutting out her leg, Soltaria caused Rex to trip and fall flat onto the ground. Cody quickly grabbbed hold of him, struggling to keep the Clone Captain at bay.

"Cody! What's the meaning of this?" Rex demanded.

"Sorry, Rex," Cody mumbled. Soltaria stepped forward, raised her hand and waved it in front of Rex's helmet. "You'll listen to me," She commanded, grinning broadly. Rex instantly relaxed, repeating, "I'll listen to you."

Cody let go of Rex, who stood dazed under Soltaria's control. "By the Force…" Cody murmured in awe. Soltaria continued. "You want to find Claire."

"I want to find Claire," Rex repeated. She was about to issue the command, but all of a sudden, her mind was a blank state! "Cody…" Soltaria mouthed. "What should I tell him?"

Cody stared at her in utter disbelief. "How should I know? Just tell him something… Anything that can get him and Claire to make up!" He mouthed back.

After a long pause, an idea struck Soltaria. "You'll find Claire… and take her to a faraway planet and have a secret wedding!"

Cody's jaws dropped. "What?"

"I'll find Claire… and take her to a faraway planet and have a secret wedding."

"Yeah… and, and Ahsoka and I will be the bridesmaids!" Soltaria continued with glee.

"Ahsoka and you will be the bridesmaids."

"Cody can be the Best man!"

"No way! I'm not going to be a part of this!" Cody insisted.

"Cody can be the Best man," Rex repeated steadily. Cody gaped at Rex in horror.

"And Obi Wan will be the Priest to wed the both you and Claire!" Soltaria ended with a goofy smile stretched across her face.

"And Obi Wan will be the Priest to wed the both me and Claire."

With a snap of the wrist, Soltaria cut off her Force Mind-trick connection. Rex stood still, silent and dazed. Soltaria sighed. "Ah, it was worth a shot. But I don't think it worked…"

Cody turned to Soltaria, his eyes full of horrid surprise. "You mean you were just pulling my leg?"

"Duh! The real plan was to leave him daze enough to get them together! Besides, my Force skills are lousy, they shouldn't work on anyone."

However, Rex still stayed silent throughout the conversation, causing them to worry. Soltaria laughed. "You can stop now, Rex. I know you're just trying to play along."

But again, nothing happened. "Rex?" Cody questioned.

"I got to find Claire," Rex said abruptly. Both Soltaria and Cody paled; this was not supposed to happen.

_Oh crap._

Before anyone knew it, Rex was walking off as a man on a mission, with Soltaria and Cody holding onto him by the leg and arm respectively. "Rex! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Cody yelled. Rex remained unfazed, dragging along the two extra weights so easily. "Damn it! Why must God hate me so?" Soltaria whined.

"Argh! Soltaria! A little help here!" Cody grunted, his locked grip on Rex weakening by the second.

Soltaria struggled to hold down Rex. "ME? What do you expect _me_ to do?"

"I don't know! Don't you have a Jedi-Force trick thing for this?"

Soltaria grinned at the idea, releasing Rex immediately. She backed away, flexing her fingers as she got into position. She raised her hand, concentrating on Rex. "H-Hey wait- Aaahh-" With a swipe, Soltaria flung Rex and Cody to the wall with the Force. Rex went fell limp to the ground, while Cody held his throbbing temple. Soltaria went over to help him up.

"Next time, warn me before you pull a trick like that," He groaned.

"Eheheh… Sorry… But at least Rex is under control."

At the end of her sentence, Rex suddenly got back on his feet and marched down the hallway to find the target. Soltaria gawked in sheer horror.

_What is he? The Undead?!_

Soltaria turned slowly to Cody, nervously chuckling. He face palmed himself. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Just then, Artoo and Ahsoka came running towards them. "What happened to Rex? He didn't respond when I called him."

"Ahsoka, where's Claire now?" Cody asked.

"In her room, why?"

Artoo noticed Soltaria's face paled, beeping and nudging her leg for an answer. "I'll explain later, but right now, we need to find Claire, before HE gets to HER."

#############

I jolted out of the bed, cold sweat dripped from my face as I slapped myself awake from the horrible nightmare. "Man, that was random! Grievous in a thong was so **not** a pretty image!"

The metal door slid open and I turned to the side, meeting the gaze of Rex. My heart was caught in my throat as he stared at me silently. '_And the uncomfortable/ominous silence isn't helping!_' I thought to myself.

Rex walked towards me, calm and cool as usual. I gulped, figuring that he must be in a serious mood today. Fighting the urge to chicken out, I got off the bed, taking a brave step towards him. We stood still, staring at each other for what seemed like eternity. "Erm… Rex, I… ah…" I began awkwardly. "Sooo how's the training going?"

'_God, I feel like I'm messing up everything!'_

"Anakin's not giving trouble again right?" I laughed nervously. "Hahah… funny that I should be mentioning him now…"

'_This is going nowhere! What am I supposed to say?_'

Ahsoka's words struck me again.

_He won't hate you… _

Slowly, I regained my newfound confidence to face the fear.

_If you speak the words from your heart._

All this time… I was afraid of being rejected by Rex…

_Just tell him the truth, about how you feel. _

I was afraid that I would lose him… because I loved him.

_Be sincere. _

But now, I need to be honest with him about my feelings. That's the first step of gaining his trust. I took another deep breath.

_Be yourself._

So all I have to say is…

"I… I'm sorry, Rex." I clutched my hands. "I'm sorry for not trusting you… and making you constantly worried."

I held my hands behind my back, shuffling my feet awkwardly as I admitted the truth. "I never meant to hurt you, or intrude into your privacy with mind-reading. I was just curious about what you think. You know, about the others… about certain stuff…"

I brought my eyes to meet his gaze shyly; a blush crept onto my face.

"And about me."

Rex remained still, his gaze fixated onto me as I blabbered on embarrassingly.

"I… I like you, Rex. I really do…" I turned my head to the side, blushing crimson red. "I just want to be clear with certain things with you. Although I really hope we can get back to what we used to be. So…"

I bowed my head down as I told him, "Please accept my apology!"

A long period of silence followed, and I ultimately wished that I could be sent into a black hole. '_Aaaaaah! So mushy!_' My inner chibi self flapped her hands madly. Rex just remained standing as he was, as if he was pausing in a long thought. I looked up to him, curious. "Errr… Rex? You can say what you want to say now."

Rex didn't respond, so I waved my hands in front of him. "Heeello? Earth to Rex!"

To my surprise, Rex grabbed my hand. He brought me close in what seemed to be like a hug and I squeaked. "R-Rex?"

What he did next was something I had last expected him to do. Rex got down on one knee, still holding my hand while mumbling something in (probably) mandalorian language. I had a bad feeling of what he was really planning to do. "R-Rex? I… I don't understand."

Rex lifted his gaze to meet my flushed face and was about to translate it when Soltaria barged into the room, going kamikaze on Rex. "BANZAAAAAAAI!" She screamed, before sending Rex crashing against the wall with a Force-Push. I gasped in shock, when Rex lay limp on the ground.

"Oh my God! Soltaria, what the heck did you do that for?"

Without a reply, Soltaria quickly pulled me away from the scene and I was dragged like a rag doll as she sped alongside Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo down the hallway. Before I knew it, Cody had locked us inside a storage basement, barricading the doors by jamming the lock. Ahsoka and Soltaria panted, while Artoo whirred and clicked in relief.

"Okay, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on in here?"

The others whipped their heads to Soltaria, who chuckled nervously in defeat. "Erm, funny story for that. Cuz you see… aaah…"

I narrowed my eyes at Soltaria. "Soltaria, don't make me read your mind."

"Oh fine! I wanted to help get you and Rex together, so we all cooked up Operation: Love And Mushy End."

"AKA Operation **L.A.M.E**," Ahsoka whispered to me. I sniggered in agreement.

"I bribed Anakin with a dinner date with Padme to help us put in some good words to encourage Rex to find you, then Ahsoka and Artoo were to do the same."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You bribed Anakin, of all people?"

"Believe it or not, he was the closet to the clones, Rex included," Ahsoka said.

"So when Cody caught him, I did some Jedi hand wave to hypnotize Rex into making up with you but I kind of got… carried away," Soltaria paused nervously. My eyes almost bulged. "**You did a Jedi Mind-trick on Rex?!**"

"I only wanted you to be happy again!" Soltaria whimpered. I glared at her, my voice hardened dangerously. "**What** did you tell him to do?"

"Aaaaaaaah…"

"Just spit it out," Cody grumbled.

"Okay, okay! I told him to take you away to some far, far away planet to have a secret wedding!" She blurted out. My heart hit my stomach rock bottom. "What?"

"And that Cody could be the best man, while Obi Wan was the priest!"

Ahsoka and Artoo turned to Cody, who muttered curses under his breath. I grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes widened in sheer horror. "**What?**"

"And that Ahsoka and I could be the bridesmaids!" Ahsoka stared blankly at her. "Ok, you didn't mention that last part."

"Soltaria! H-How could you? I-I-I…" My voice strained higher, anger bubbling inside of me. "I'm barely _**legal**_!"

"Technically you will be 18 in a few more months," Soltaria added. "Besides, I always wanted to see how your wedding would be like."

"Have you bloody lost it? I'm not ready to get hitched!" I was seriously deciding on whether to maim her or hang her upside down over the hangar to greet incoming star fighter laser fire. "And how can you be so sure that we will be safe here from Rex?"

"Chill, he's only a clone. It's not like he could blow the heavy metal door up."

Ironically, the door that was supposed to protect us was sent hurling by a huge explosion. Being the poor sap nearest to the door, Cody was officially knocked out by the blast. The rest of us, however, were either chucked onto nearby shelves and crates or sprawled across the floor. Artoo beeped frantically as Rex stood at the entrance, equipped with grenades, dual blasters and most horribly, a rocket launcher.

"Wow, Claire. Your fiancé is superb, even when under mind-control."

I shot a hardened look at Soltaria. "When this is over, you would wish that you weren't born."

Ahsoka winced as she got back on her feet. "Oh no, Rex must have stopped by the armory along the way."

Soltaria turned to her, bewildered. "There was an armory?"

I smacked my forehead. '_We're screwed. Utterly screwed._'

Rex was about to fire his blasters when Soltaria quickly waved her hands directly in front of him. "WAAAAIT! Don't shoot! It's me! Soltaria, you know? Your friend?"

Rex fired a shot, which Soltaria deflected with her light saber. The clone captain took another step forward, firing laser bullets, which Soltaria had to dodge or deflect repeatedly. "Erm, guys? A little help here?"

Ahsoka and I paused, exchanging glances. "Should we?" She asked.

"I dunno… Considering the fact that she made you a bridesmaid and forced me into an arranged marriage…"

"Hello? Getting creamed here!" Her voice grew edgy with panic.

"Maybe we should watch for awhile…"

"Yeah, let her face the music," I agreed with a sadistic smile.

"Oh for crying out loud! I'm sorry! Okay? I'm super-duper-triple-overly **sorry**!"

Artoo whirred, beeping in a laughing manner at Soltaria's long words. I pondered before shrugging. "Well can't you just tell him that you're a bridesmaid too? Or did you forget?"

When she caught on with what I said, Soltaria looked like she just got slapped across the face. With new confidence, she turned to face Rex and yelled, "Did I forget to mention that I'm one of the bridesmaids needed alive for your wedding?"

Rex paused for a minute, as Soltaria continued. "We were just erm… having a pre-nuptial moment with the bride. Getting her prepared and all."

I shot a 'what-the-heck' look at her direction. Rex immediately ceased fire and Soltaria breathed a sigh of relief. But just when we thought it was over, Rex stomped towards me and slung me over his shoulder. Ahsoka attempted to free me from Rex's grasp, but to no avail as Rex knocked her out with the butt of his rifle. And so I was carried off like Ann with King Kong.

"Soltariaaaaaaaaa!" I screamed.

Speaking of King Kong, I hope he doesn't give me the 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' crap as someone under Jedi-Mind control.

################

Bane greeted the Emperor's hologram, tipping the brim of his hat.

"I have a new mission for you, bounty hunter. I hope you are ready."

"I'm listening," Bane cooly replied.

"It's very simple really. Find information on Claire Aschlock's whereabouts and bring her to Kalee. **Alive**. I will arrange a meeting point for you and General Grievous, along with _safe_ passage through the Outer Rim." The Emperor's voice was full of serious dead intent. "Failure is unacceptable."

Bane's mouth twitched, but nodded. "Fine, as long as I get paid for it."

All of a sudden, Dooku appeared, scaring the hell out of everyone with a 'BOO'. He laughed madly and started swishing his hips and hands, doing the Lucky Star Dance with a few droids. And worse, he was singing too.

_Aimai san senchi sorya puni tte koto kai? Choh!_

_Rappingu ga seifuku…daa furi tte kotanai pu._

_Ganbaccha__yacchaccha_

_Son to kyaacchi & Release gyoh_

_Ase (Fuu) ase (Fuu) no tanima ni Darlin' darlin' FREEZE!!_

Grievous appearing from out of nowhere as usual, knock Dooku out with a single chop to the head. So gradually, the old Sith Lord went out like a light. Grievous glared at the visibly shaken droids.

"Which of you dimwits let him out?" He demanded. One of the droids raised his hand shakily and ended up as scrap pile from Grievous' infamous 'whack the droid' move. The other droids scrambled back to their stations upon hearing Grievous roar in rage (not to mention, annoyance).

"Ah, Grievous," The Emperor began. "Good timing, I needed to speak with you. My condolences to loss of your light saber."

Grievous froze in his position, glaring at the obvious blue culprit who spilled the beans. "Oops, my bad," Bane replied in a mocking tone. "But frankly, it _was_ just a light saber."

Grievous clenched his talons, wishing that he could rip Bane's throat apart. The Emperor cleared his throat. "Now then, Grievous, your mission would be to meet Bane at Kalee, where you must clear a path for our journey to the temple…"

Grievous' eyes widened at the word Kalee. By then, he wasn't listening to the Emperor's rambling; his mind had drifted away to the many memories of his life in his home planet. One of them happens to be about the light saber in Claire's possession… and its previous owner. He couldn't remember the face of his opponent, but Grievous did remember one thing distinctively.

The Mandalorian words marked on that light saber which he managed to get translated.

Aschlock.

################

Obi Wan arrived back into the Resolute from a mission in Kashyyx, sensing a great disturbance in the Force. "Something is not right…" He mumbled.

"OBI!" Soltaria tackled him down, and dragged him away.

"Wh- Soltaria? What happened?"

"You got to help! It's Claire! She's in trouble!"

Obi Wan sighed. "I don't think it's advisable to intrude into her relationship with Rex."

Soltaria gave an dreadful look. "Hate to break it to you, Obi Wan. But you're going to have to intrude into their relationship in a whole new level. Whether you like it or not."

################

"Rex! Let me go!" I yelled, but to no avail. Rex ignored me, steering the drop ship to an unknown destination. I was in the same old position: tied to a chair and in a ship, traveling in outer space. Gee, this reminds me of memories…

"Damn it Rex! Will you listen to me for once?" I grunted. "Don't you know that marriage is a lifelong commitment? It means you have to leave the Republic Army which you had sworn to protect with your life!"

He remained unfazed.

"Are you really that willing to forgo that? Even to a Jedi-Mind trick?"

Rex gave the cold shoulder, not replying. Irritated, I gave up trying to persuade him. "Who am I kidding? You're just doing this because you're under mind-control anyway…"

I sulked, letting my gaze wander off to the stars in the twilight galaxy.

[Auto Pilot engaged.]

The words "Oh Shit" was clearly written all over my face as Rex walked over to me, his helmet taken off. I gulped when he tipped my chin to meet his gaze.

"Rex? Wh-What are y-"

Within a heartbeat, Rex's lips pressed against mine roughly (and shockingly, passionately). My inner chibi self screamed at the sudden rise of hormones, rocketing off to Never Never land. Rex deepened the kiss, while my body convulsed in shock. A warm feeling stirred in my belly as Rex's grip on my shoulders tightened.

'_Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my GOD!_' I mentally screamed.

When our lips finally parted, I was panting and wheezing; my face was completely cherry red. Rex kept his gaze at my dazed face.

"The only reason I'm willing to marry you… It's because I want to be with you."

That was all I managed to hear before fainting on my seat.

################

SW cast: (Stare blankly in shock)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well that wasn't so bad.

(In the end, majority of SW cast suffered nosebleeds, fainting spells and vomiting simultaneously.)

Soltaria: Yay! Claire and Rex got back together! Well, sort of…

Bane: (Sarcastic) Wow, Claire has a love slave.

Ahsoka: You're just jealous because she likes Rex and not you.

Anakin: That was my line! (Watches scene again and suffers nosebleed because he imagined how it had go further)

Bane: (Shifty eyes) What nonsense.

Ahsoka: Ah-hah! So you are jealous!

Grievous: (Cackles, finally finding a way to get back at Bane)

---(Meanwhile)---

Claire: Rex, seriously, you can stop the lovey-dovey zombie thing.

Rex: (Still clinging onto Claire like a koala bear)

Claire: (O_o) Aw you gotta be kidding me! It's real here too?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Well that's all for this chapter! And if I can get more reviews (Maybe when it reaches 50 or so)… I'll put in more mushy Claire/Rex scenes!

Claire: WTH?! Don't make use of me for advertising!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Ciao! And remember… No flames! XD


	9. I'm getting married!

**Chapter 9: I'm getting married?!**

_Entry log: Aside from my personal fear of fire and disgust of dresses... My greatest phobia would be getting married. Did I do something to offend someone high above? Because I don't want to get married now! I'm only freaking 17!__** 17!**__ Do you know how much one person can do while she's still single and 17? Then again, I think Rex has it the worse, even though he's under mind-control now... (If only I could cure him... but I have no Force powers on that.) ARGH! When I find Soltaria, I'm going to mince her to shreds!_

Obi Wan: So how much exactly have I missed?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Hmm... let's see... Soltaria blundering a Jedi Mind-Trick...

Soltaria: Hey!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Cody and Ahsoka getting knocked out by a hypnotized Rex...

Cody: (Being bandaged by Ahsoka) Ahem...

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: And Claire about to get hitched with her personal zombie love slave.

Claire: Like I wanted to be a part of this! (Still trying to shake off Rex who refuses to let go in the midst of their hugging session)

Mace: I'm ashamed that she is my padawan.

Soltaria: I heard that, Macey!

(Soltaria and Mace engage in a duel with light sabers and Force powers)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Sheesh... where's our disclaimer of the day?

Jedi Council: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers.

Plo Koon: She also does not own the songs and lyrics posted in this fanfic.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Sweet! I got the whole Jedi Council to do my disclaimer! Awesome! XD

(Soltaria emerges as victor, laughing manically)

Soltaria: Hah! I win! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Mace: I… don't believe it…

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Face it, Mace. You just got pwned by someone high on sugar.

############

_2 years ago…_

A girl sat quietly on the freezing sidewalk, outside the office. Snow fell from the sky as she stuck out her tongue to taste a snowflake. The burning sensation caused her to squeak. The door creaked open, revealing a purple-haired social worker with a cup of warm hot chocolate.

"Here, this should warm you up," She said, as she handed the cup to the shivering girl. The girl with black short wispy hair sniffed the warm cocoa aroma before taking a small sip. "Thank you," She mumbled in gratitude.

"Your welcome," The social worker replied. "Are you feeling better?"

The girl nodded and cast her eyes down to the cup. "Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you want to help me… even though you don't know anything about me?" She asked.

The purple-haired woman smiled, ruffling the girl's hair playfully.

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

On that single winter cold afternoon, a friendship between a Mortal and an Angel blossomed.

############

Obi Wan stared in blank disbelief at Soltaria, Ahsoka, Artoo and a banged up Cody. He held his temple in great stress and contemplation of the matter.

"Let me get this straight. Rex kidnapped Claire to a place we have no idea of, Cody is the best man, you and Ahsoka are the bridesmaids and I'm the…"

"Priest- The guy who weds the couple together."

Obi Wan sighed in greater distress, replying in a low tone. "I suppose I'll have to help solve this problem."

Soltaria shrugged. "Pretty much."

"For a secret wedding, we sure have a lot of people knowing about it," Ahsoka whispered to Soltaria. Artoo beeped in agreement. "I know, I know. But we need Obi Wan's help in cancelling out the mind-trick."

"She's got a point," Cody agreed. "For once."

"But there are so many planets! Where do we start?" Ahsoka asked.

Obi Wan smiled. "Ahsoka, have you forgotten what we Jedi can do?"

Soltaria's eyes beamed and she leaned towards him with glee. "Have I forgotten to mention how much I admire you, Obi?"

Cody rolled his eyes as Obi Wan cleared his throat. "Now then, gather around and concentrate on the Force."

Soltaria blankly stared as Ahsoka and Obi Wan entered in full lotus positions, closing their eyes in meditation. "I don't get it, why are we sitting around for?"

"We're going to connect with the Force to locate Claire and Rex's position."

Soltaria blinked. "But how-"

"Just keep quiet and concentrate your thoughts on Claire and Rex," Obi Wan cut in. "Once you calm your mind, you should see some visions of them at least."

With a shrug, Soltaria sat down and did as she was told. Serenity filled the silent room; the noise from outside grew softer and softer. Creases formed on Obi Wan's fore head, deep in concentration.

"Strange… I can't sense anything."

"Same here. There's nothing on Claire. At all," Ahsoka mumbled softly.

"Mmm… Häagen-Dazs and churros…" Soltaria licked her lips in sweet delight, earning the questionable looks from everyone else. She blinked in surprise.

"Wow, I'm hungrier than I thought I was."

Obi Wan sighed. "Let's try again. Only this time, try concentrating on Captain Rex."

The trio meditated once more, joining with the Force.

"A barn… in the wetlands… Lush greenery… and mountains… deserts…"

"Master Kenobi, I can see a family and… and children!"

"Why do I hear… wedding bells? " Soltaria's eyebrows creased together in concentration. "Hold on… I'm picking up something on Cl- WOAH!"

All of a sudden, Soltaria was lifted off the ground and thrown against the wall. Jolted awake, Cody (who had fallen asleep) fell off his bed in shock, while the others whipped their heads to Sotlaria's direction. Ahsoka ran to her side, shaking her shoulder. "Soltaria? Are you alright?"

"I-I saw her! I saw Claire! But there was like… some kind of barrier, pushing me out of the Force!"

Artoo whistled, while Obi Wan placed a finger on his chin. "Judging from the scenery which just saw, I saw that they would be at Saleucami. We'll need to take a drop ship and contact Anakin and Master Windu to be on the lookout."

"That would be a problem." Everyone turned to the source of the voice: Plo Koon. "Plo Plo! Kor-Too-Ha!" Soltaria grinned.

"Actually, it's Koh-To-Ya." He corrected.

"That's what I just said!"

A huge sweat drop formed on Plo Koon's head, but he remained calm as he informed the group, "Unfortunately, I bring forth some… unfortunate news."

"What do you mean, Master Plo?" Concern was evident in Ahsoka's words.

"Due to the heavy casualties involved from Soltaria's piloting, she has been prohibited from going near any flying aircraft in the Republic territories."

Soltaria was bewildered. "What? But I have to go and save Claire-Bear!"

"I'm deeply sorry, but even Chancellor Palpatine and Admiral Yularen have agreed to this."

A long silence filled the room, until Ahsoka thought of a brilliant idea.

"Well, we could try this…" She slyly smiled.

############

By the time I had woken up, Rex was shaking me by the shoulders. I yawned softly, rubbing my tired eyes to meet the sudden appearance of Rex's visor in front of my face. I yelped in surprise, falling off my seat. It was then I noticed that Rex had untied me. Instinctively, I attacked him, but Rex just held me off like I was some pint-sized kid. Then again, even if I was stronger than him I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use my full force on him. So I ran out of the drop ship, only to find beautiful scenery of lush greenery and desert colors blended together perfectly.

I was left in awe. "Where is this place?"

Sadly, the moment was cut short as Rex yanked me to a speeder bike, which I presumed he must have snuck into the ship earlier. I gave a long glance to the drop ship, wondering if I should attempt an escape. '_Not unless I want to end up like Cody and Ahsoka…_'

Reluctantly, I wrapped my arms around his waist as we sat on the speeder bike. Rex ignited the engine and we sped away like the wind. Countless vegetation passed us in the amazing beauty of the lush wetlands of mountains, forests, fields and deserts. For some strange reason, I can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. '_Where have I seen this place before?_' I wondered to myself.

Caught up in my daydreaming and sightseeing, I only realized later that I had leaned very close to Rex's back. Rex on the other hand was completely comfortable with it. Blushing hysterically, I prayed that this torture would end soon. Yet, I couldn't help but find it… romantic.

The speeder bike stopped at a barn in the middle of the wetlands. Rex parked the speeder bike and helped me down. I scrutinized my eyes at the familiar-looking farm. '_Why does this place look so familiar?_'

The door opened to reveal my answer. "Rex!" A man with reddish maroon hair and tanned complexion welcomed Rex, shaking his hand in a brotherly fashion. But what terrified me the most was that the man had the same face as Rex!

'_Maybe I'm hallucinating._'

A pink-skinned Twi'lek Female strolled out of the house, along with two orange and blue-skinned twi'lek kids: One girl and one boy. I blinked, staring from the man to the Twi'lek family to Rex, and back to the man and the Twi'lek family.

Then it hit me.

'_Oh my GOD! Its Cut Lawquane! The clone who deserted the army to lead a normal life with his adopted family!_' I was secretly hoping that he wasn't the same guy, but sure enough, the guy extended his hand to me, with a smile.

"Hi. My name is Lawquane. Cut Lawquane," He told me.

A doomed expression swallowed my inner chibi self as I shakily shook his hand.

"N-Nice to meet you," I replied with an awkward smile. If I didn't have to keep my true origins a secret, I would have told him: "_You kick ass in Season 2, episode 10!_"

The little Twi'lek girl walked towards me with a sweet smile, and asked, "Are you Mister Rex's girlfriend?"

I blushed hysterically, scratching the back of my head. "Er, not exactly… my name is Claire Aschlock. I'm actually-"

"She's my fiancée."

I stared at Rex in sheer horror. '_How can you say it with such a straight-forward face?_' I mentally yelled. Cut looked surprised. "Congratulations."

Desperate, I tried to inform them about Rex's condition. "Erm, actually Rex isn't really feeling too well today…"

"We're planning on getting married here. Secret wedding with a few witnesses."

Cut and his wife looked impressed. "I knew you had accept my offer," The ex-clone joyfully replied, slapping Rex's shoulder.

**That was it.**

"No, no, no! You don't understand! Rex is under mind-control to do this! He doesn't **want **to really marry me!" I half-shrieked.

Everyone stared at me and then burst out laughing. I stared at them in disbelief, while Cut's wife patted my shoulder. "Sweetie, I think you are suffering from pre-wedding stress."

"What? No! I'm being serious!"

Ignoring my words, she guided me to the house. "Come now, I'll take you inside for some nice warm soup. By the way, you can call me Suu. And the children would love to have some company."

Cut chuckled in agreement. "I'm guessing you would like to stay with us?"

Rex nodded. "At least before we find a place of our own."

"Tell you what, I'll help you fix up a new home for you and your wife. In return, just let us know when the wedding starts."

Suu's children smiled at me, both quickly introducing themselves. "My name is Jekk!" The boy cheerfully introduced himself.

"And my name is Shaeeah," The little girl smiled adorably. "Hope you have a nice honeymoon in the future."

I was pretty much dreading what would happen next.

#############

"This armor is so damn tight!" Soltaria hissed, walking rigidly in the clone armor alongside Artoo, who beeped cheekily.

"Ssh! We can't let the clones know that you're here," Ahsoka whispered.

Obi Wan and Cody approached a clone trooper, requesting for a drop ship for departure to the Outer Rim. The clone nodded, and then tilted his head to the side, noticing the extra 'clone'.

"I've never seen you around before…" The clone noted. "What's your name?"

Soltaria stood rigid, her lips blubbering, too shocked to speak. Ahsoka elbowed her in the rib and without thinking, Soltaira blurted out loud, "**Peanut!**"

Everyone, including Soltaria herself, was caught by surprise at the name.

"Peanut?" The clone repeated, disturbed.

"Yes… ahem, my name _is_ Peanut." She tried to sound as manly as possible.

"What happened to your voice? It sounds… girly."

Soltaria coughed. "Sore throat… puberty…"

Cody placed a firm hand on Soltaria's shoulder, squeezing it. "_Peanut_ came from one of the new batches. His voice got affected from an error in the cloning process," Cody explained.

"Ah, one of the new shinies. Poor thing."

With the disguise a success, the gang quickly boarded the drop ship and departed the Resolute. Upon reaching a safe distance, Soltaria removed her helmet gasped. "Finally!"

"You know that you'll have to wear that while I'm talking with Anakin," Obi Wan said. Soltaira bluntly scoffed. "Annie isn't so much of a problem."

"Not even your Master? Mace Windu?"

Soltaria paused, casting her eyes to the side as Obi Wan drove the drop ship away. "Peanut…" Obi Wan mused. "What an interesting name."

Cody and Ahsoka burst into hysterical laughter, while Artoo clicked and whirred repeatedly. Soltaria folded her arms, pouting. "Well what do you expect? I only had like a second to come up with a name!"

"No offense, but I never knew of any trooper with a name like that," Cody chuckled.

"Pfft… Peanut…" Ahsoka giggled.

"So not funny!" Soltaria slid the clone helmet back on to hide her reddened face. '_Where's Claire when you need her? She does way better in the guy-like voice thing._'

"Now I'll just need to hold a hologram conference with Anakin and Mace, so Soltaria, whatever you do…" Obi Wan's voice went low and serious. "Don't speak. At all."

Before she could retort, the hologram of Mace appeared, prompting her to keep her mouth screwed shut.

[Master Kenobi, what seems to be the problem?] Mace inquired.

"Master Windu, where's Anakin?"

Mace looked confused. [Wasn't he supposed to be with you in the Resolute?]

Soltaria, Ahsoka and Cody shrunk in their seats as Obi Wan shot a quizzical look. "No, we were just looking for him, along with Claire and clone Captain Rex."

Mace and Obi Wan stared at each other silently, realizing that they had been tricked. [That Skywalker was always the sneaky one…] Mace muttered grudgingly.

"Agreed. Do inform us if you spot him, Claire or Captain Rex around the area."

Mace nodded, ending the transmission. "Oh well, let's just get going then!" Soltaria said cheerfully. Obi Wan folded his arms, eyeing her suspiciously. "You don't happen to know where Anakin is… do you?"

With the combined stares of Cody and Ahsoka, Soltaria's last shred of hope crumpled. "Yeah… About Anakin…"

#############

"Missy Claire! Missy Claire! Show us that mind-reading trick you did before!"

I sighed as Jekk and Shaeeah tugged my arms, wanting me to play with them again. "But this is the seventh time…" I whined.

"Pleeeeaaaassee?" They pleaded, with their cutest puppy eyes and pouts. Unable to ignore to the max level of cuteness, I gave in. "Fine. But only because you asked nicely."

"Ooh! Me first! Me first!" Jekk exclaimed in excitement. I read his mind, and with a smirk I told him, "I'm guessing… tag!"

Suu watched with a smile as I chased the kids around the house. "You seem to like kids."

I shrugged. "Yeah, they're okay. Especially when they laugh at the **Tickle Monster**!" My fingers shot out to tickle Jekk and Shaeeah's sides, causing them to laugh gleefully. Suu smiled warmly at the various antics we came up with: Playing tag, talking, doodling and charades. I suddenly remembered how long it was since I last got involved in a family like this.

"Missy Claire! Look!" Shaeeah brought out a colorful doodle of two stick figures surrounded by messy pink, red and blue flowers. "Who's that?" I pointed to the stick figure wearing a white long dress.

"That's you!" She giggled. "And the other one's your future hubby: Mister Rex."

My face paled, suddenly remembering why I was here. "T-T-That's great…" A trembling nervous smile appeared on my face. '_If there's anything that beats my fire phobia, it's wedding phobia._'

"And look! Mum and I got a dress for you!" Shaeeah pulled me by the hand, dragging upstairs. Upon the reaching the room, a dazzling white strapless dress laid on the bed, along with the headdress decorated with white alien flowers. Shaeeah beamed at me with a wide smile. "What do you think?"

If Rex and Cut were still outside busy fixing a house, they would have heard me screaming my lungs off.

#############

Exiting out of hyperspace, Anakin drove his star fighter through the wide space. "Dang it. Master Windu and Obi Wan are going to kill me if I don't make it to the Twilight!" Anakin muttered. "And worse, Artoo's probably with that crazy purple destroyer."

Suddenly, his ship rocked from the impact of laser fire from behind. A sleek green Porax-38 starfighter zoomed past Anakin, who growled. "Bane… What's he doing here?"

Impulsively, Anakin fired laser at Bane, but the clever bounty hunter dodged it with ease. "Oh it's on!" Anakin chased after Bane in a light speed chase down the endless galaxy.

#############

"Why the Force did you dive for the wheel, Soltaria? You almost got us killed!"

"I got bored! And I wanted to drive something," Soltaria replied casually, as she climbed out of the wrecked drop ship. Cody lifted Ahsoka and Obi Wan out while Artoo used his mini rocket boosters to escape the ruined pile of metal. The group was now stranded in a wide field of vegetation and mountains.

"Well this does prove the fact that you're ineligible for driving any vehicle in the world," Obi Wan coughed.

"Aw come on! It wasn't _that_ bad!"

Ahsoka shot a glare in her direction. "Bad? _**BAD**_? You drove us straight into an asteroid zone!" Ahsoka almost yelled.

"Wow, you sure have Annie's temper," Soltaria remarked, and then grinned goofily. "Like Master, like Padawan!"

For the first time, Ahsoka had the sudden urge to claw Soltaria's eyes out. Cody placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, kid. Just take it easy."

Obi Wan stared at the long stretch of land before them. "It looks like we're going to have to walk from here," He said. Then he froze, knitting his brows together briefly, detecting something amiss the deep silence. "Aw maaaaan… do we really have to-"

Obi Wan cut Soltaria off by raising his hand, and igniting his light saber. Ahsoka soon felt it too, readying her light saber while Cody got his blaster ready. The trees swished with the wind, and shadows of rocks and mountains lied ominously on the grass. Not understanding the situation, Soltaria was about to ask until she felt a tingling sensation at the back of her mind. The hair on her neck stood straight as if something was warning danger. "Wow, I have some kind of Spidey sense now?" She wondered out loud.

Soon, assassin droids popped up like daisy and charged towards the group with shiny blades. Droids clashed with living beings, as they battled in terrains of vegetation. Laser clashed with blades and light sabers. Out of nowhere, Ventress joined the fray, jumped from a rock and clashed light sabers with Obi Wan.

"Kenobi… I should have known," She snarled, licking her lips.

"Ventress… Here to do Dooku's dirty work I suppose?"

"My master is ill and helped Aschlock escape in a moment of insanity," She replied dryly. Everyone gave quizzical looks whereas Soltaria, after sending an assassin droid flying in the opposite direction, exclaimed, "For the first time, I'm glad to hear about Random Dooku!"

"If it's Claire you're after, we won't let you lay a finger on her," Obi Wan said in a low tone. Ventress simply laughed. "Fine! Try and stop me if you can!"

With a violent swing, she brought her red light saber down to clash with Obi Wan's blue light saber. Artoo zoomed pass the assassin droids, electrocuting those that got too near Cody. Ahsoka and Soltaria moved back to back, surrounded by droids ready to stick their evil blades into their guts.

"On the count of three, we duck and slice their legs," She whispered.

"What?"

"Duck!" Ahsoka swiftly bent down and slashed the droids legs while Soltaria yelped, dodging to the side instead. The act however caused her to drop her light saber, which bounced across the grass. She scrambled to her light saber as the assassin droid approached her with lightning speed. In panicked reflex, she thrust her hands at the direction of the droid, squeezing her eyes shut as she mumbling desperately, "Almighty God above… Please give me strength!"

Just as the droid raised its sickening blade of death, Soltaria screamed out randomly.

"**HADOKEN**!"

Miraculously, a ball of Force energy glowed in her hands, flying towards the assassin droid in fierce speed. The Force Ball sent the assassin droid flying across the plain meadow, frying its circuits to crisp. Soltaria stared down at her hands in amazement.

"I can do that?" Her lips formed a grin. "Wow! As how Claire-Bear would say… Thanks for the level up, God!" Grabbing her light saber and thrusting it onto her belt, Soltaria flexed her fingers and charged towards the assassin droids surrounded Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo. "Eat this! Hadoken V2!" She yelled, firing Force balls at the assassin droids like a machine gun on the loose. Ahsoka gaped at Soltaria destroying the droids as if they were flies.

"Impossible!" With a final clash, Obi Wan pushed Ventress down to the ground with his light saber connected to hers. "It's over, Ventress."

Ventress hissed and kicked Obi Wan in the gut, running off down to the thick forest ahead. "Hurry! We have to reach Claire and Rex before she does!" Obi Wan said. Ahsoka gave a reluctant nod, while Cody went ahead to follow his orders. But as they walked forward, he noticed that someone else was not following. Turning around, he noticed Soltaria, standing along side Artoo. "What's wrong Soltaria?"

"Do we really have to go in there?"

"Now isn't the best time to complain, kid," Cody replied sternly.

Soltaria shuffled her feet, unease filled her voice, "Yeah, but I don't do so well in dark spooky places… especially dark spooky forests _crammed_ with trees, bugs and…" She gulped. "… _Small_ spaces haunted by ghosts?"

Cody sighed; mumbling something about women while Obi Wan chuckled. "Relax Soltaria, you _are _a Jedi Padawan for a reason. Besides, there's no such thing as a ghost."

"That's right. And just think about it," Ahsoka smiled. "Once we get across the spooky dark forest, you can see Claire again."

With night drawing close, Artoo beeped shakily at the dark spooky forest that reminded Soltaria of the creepy ghostly trees from Snow White. The lightning and thunder sound effect in her head sent shivers down her spine.

'_Of all the places that Claire and Rex may be hiding, why can't it be a meadow with rainbow unicorns and happy leprechauns?_'

#############

At the table, everyone sat down for dinner. To avoid Rex's unflinching stare, I kept my gaze down to my plate of baked alien meat. Secretly, I glanced to the kids who ate their fill. '_How is it that they can stomach something that looks like some weird hybrid of a chameleon and armadillo?_'

"Aren't you hungry?" Cut asked in concern that I had not eaten my fill of the questionably edible meat. I shook my head, but my stomach growled louder in protest. '_Whose side are you on?_' I mentally scolded my stomach.

"Missy Claire, it's really good!" Jekk said, at the same time gobbling down more of the alien meat. I stared at the meat and its alien source. With a reluctant gulp, I stabbed a piece of it with my fork and took a bite. Noticing the others (Rex included) still staring at me, I chewed it quickly, swallowing my repulsive looking dinner. To my surprise, it tasted like chicken.

"Told you, told you!" Jekk cheerfully added. Shaeeah was awfully quiet, eyeing the light saber attached to my belt. "What's that, Missy Claire?" She finally asked, pointing to my weapon.

I grinned. "That? That's my light saber. I got it when I was captured by a certain cyborg general who tried to make me join the Dark Side."

"You're a Jedi?" Cut asked. I shook my head. "Nah. And I'm not a Sith either. So I'm in-between… sort of."

"What's a cyborg?" Jekk asked. I smiled at the innocent little kids. "Tell you what, if you finish up your dinner and clean up quickly, I'll tell you a little interesting story about him."

"Really?" The two kids beamed with excitement.

"Absolutely."

The two kids cheered, and quickly finished their dinner before speeding to wash their dishes. Cut and Suu smiled at me. "What?"

"Nothing, just happy that Jekk and Shaeeah have some good company once in awhile," Cut replied with a satisfied smile. I smiled back. "Yeah, they're a wonderful bunch."

"Do you plan on having kids of your own after your marriage?"

My eyes bulged at Suu's words, my stomach turning upside down. Eyeing Rex nervously, I began to imagine what a life of us, as a family would be like. The visions of a little black haired boy and a blonde girl, running into our arms took the cake, their laughing faces bringing joy to our 'home'. Crimson shades plastered all over my cheek, while my heart thumped loudly at the sheer thought of it. Dreadfully, I felt ill.

"Erm… I'm going for a walk," Awkwardness filled my voice as I stood up and dashed out of the house. As soon as I reached a distance from the house, I stopped outside the field of crops, heaving a sigh of relief.

'_OH. MY. __**GOD**__! For a second I thought she might go on about the sex talk!"_

Then I noticed a barn house identical to the one that Cut's family live in. It was still under construction, but the effort put in to build it could be seen.

'_If Rex and I got married and have a family here… would we be living happily like Cut and his own?_' I wondered. '_Now that I thought about it, was this something that Rex secretly wanted?_'

My eyes widened. _'No way! He wouldn't think about actually doing this for real…' _

I stared at our 'home' for a long time, pondering.

'… _Would he?'_

"Claire." I squeaked, whipping around to find Rex standing right behind me.

"Oh- Ah- Hi, Rex," I flustered, smiling nervously. "Nice night today isn't it?"

Rex stared at me even more intensely, his hazel eyes boring into mine.

'_Oh God… Is so hard to look at him in the eyes now!_'

My limps went rigid still as Rex wrapped his arms around my waist.

"_Mhi solus tome."_  
_"Mhi solus dhar'tome."_

I almost melted at the touch of his lips on my cheek. Rex gazed at me 'lovingly'.

"_Mhi me'dinui an."_  
"_Mhi ba'juri verde."_

I stared at Rex, left speechless by his gaze and voice. '_I know that was beautiful and all, but... Rex! English please!_'

"Rex… what are you saying?"

When Rex leaned towards me, I instantly regretted my words. Believing that he was going to land a mushy wet kiss, I squeezed my eyes tight. But instead, Rex had leaned to my ear. His breath tickled my skin.

"We are one together," He whispered huskily, sending shivers down my spine.

"We are one when parted."

One of his large hands found mine, and clasped over it warmly. I never knew how comforting his warmth was.

"We share all."

As if hypnotized by his words, I absentmindedly accepted his warm embrace, hugging back. My fingers were still fidgeting though.

"We will raise warriors."

Rex ended it with a small kiss on my fore head. I blushed madly, now understanding why he said those words.

'_And according to my Star Wars knowledge base… Those are marriage vows! He was freakin' proposing to me then!_' My inner chibi ran around in circles, shooting confetti out of nowhere.

"Marry me," He pleaded softly. Desperate to escape, I was really hoping on running away and screaming for help like a banshee. But this was Rex. The guy who was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to; the guy who risked his life for all; the guy who can solve any problem and argument faster than you can say "Suck Laser!"

And Rex… was the guy whom I had always loved.

'_Seriously, I can't bear to even point my light saber at him or smash his head against the wall!_' Remembering those memories just wanted to make me cry. Rex gave a small hush, wiping away my tears as he asked me again.

"Will you marry me?"

I was about to say yes, but then stopped. If I really loved him, I must say…

"No." Rex stared at me in shock as I smiled warmly. I clasped my hands onto both sides of his face. "Not yet."

Crestfallen, Rex shot a look of hurt. "Why?"

"You're not ready. You're still under Soltaria's mind trick. I don't want to force you into making a decision that you'll regret later."

Rex grabbed my shoulders roughly, his angry eyes of disbelief burned into mine. "But I **am** ready."

I stood my ground firmly, despite knowing how hurt he was. "Now isn't the right time. I'll wait until you're ready to leave the Order and everything. Hell, when you say go, then I'll go. So when the time comes…" I leaned towards his face until the tip of our noses touched, black staring back at hazel.

"I'll be there waiting for you."

And I sealed my words with a kiss on his lips. Rex stiffened for a moment, his grip on me loosened, only to let his arms wrap around my waist, pulling us together in a tight embrace. We showered each other with kisses. I gasped when Rex kissed me harder. Passion convulsed through my veins as his body pressed tightly against mine. The touch of his skin was enough to make me go insane. But when we pulled apart, the most miraculous thing happened.

Rex blinked. "… C-Claire?"

I gasped as he looked around his surroundings in confusion. "Where the heck are we? What are we doing here? And why are you smiling and crying at the same time?"

I laughed and threw my arms around him. "Rex! You're cured!"

"What are you talking about? Since when was I ever sick?"

I laughed, hugging Rex in joy. "I'm sorry for everything! I'm sorry for not trusting you back then! I'm sorry about Soltaria doing her mind-trick on you!"

Rex felt overwhelmed. "Erm, it's okay really, I wanted to apologize too for- Wait a second!" He wrenched me away from the hugging moment, his face reflected epic horror. "I was under mind-control?" He almost yelled. "By Soltaria?"

"Yup."

All of a sudden, shrill screaming from the cornfield was heard and Jekk and Shaeeah came running out of the field, towards me. "Jekk! Shaeeah! What happened?"

"M-Monsters! Monsters heading this way!" Shaeeah shrieked.

"Yeah! And one of them had purple hair sticking out!" Jekk cried, clutching onto my leg in fear.

On cue, the crops rustled and shadowy murky figures rose from the field. Rex readied his blasters and fired at the one in the front.

"Ow! My butt! It burns!"

A mud-covered Anakin appeared, followed by a mud-covered Soltaria and Obi Wan. The only ones clean or with few specks of dirt were Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo. Anakin was beyond pissed off, rubbing his burnt ass.

"Who was the idiot who shot my ass?" He demanded. Rex gulped, quickly hiding his gun behind his back. Looking at the scene, I guffawed, slapping my knees while everyone stared back as if to question my sanity.

"Claire? Is that you?" Soltaria asked.

And that was how the whole gang got reunited. For now.

############

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: With the whole gang regrouped, there are still so many questions left unanswered! How did Anakin met up with Soltaria, Obi Wan and the others? What is going on with Ventress and Cad Bane? And will Rex ever forgive Soltaria for what she had done to him?

Anakin: (Applying medicated burn oil on his poor butt) You know instead of giving questions, why not answer them for us?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh I will.

Anakin: Really?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Smirks evilly) In the next chapter.

Anakin: (PWNED) WHAT?!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx Please review to continue this story and no flames! XD


	10. Home of the Weapon

**Chapter 10: Home of the Weapon**

_Entry log: After a close shave with death by wedding, Rex has finally come to his senses. Now that the whole gang is here, we need to figure out a way to stop a sinister Separatist plot. Knowing Bane, Ventress and that despicable no-good Emperor, they're up to something that involves this whole Star Wars galaxy. Me included. Problem is… where do we start in a galaxy of over thousands of planets and moons?!_

Obi Wan: Where indeed…

Anakin: Oh come on, Hikaru! Tell us already!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: No way, you have to read to find out.

Rex: I still can't believe I tried to… (Glances at Claire and blushes)

Cody: She'll forgive you.

Anakin: Say it before I get Soltaria's special nickname for you!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: O_o I have a nickname?

Anakin: Yeah! And it's stupid too!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Cool, what's it called?

Anakin: O_O No! You're supposed to be terrified! Not interested!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Then stuff it, while I get the disclaimer rolling.

Droid: Err… why am I here?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: You my friend, have just won the honor of doing the disclaimer.

Droid: Really?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Yes, now get on with it before I call Grumpy General Grievous in to slaughter you.

Droid: AAH! (Stands rigid) xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. (Cowers) Please don't hurt meeee!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Smiles sinisterly, patting trembling droid's head) Good little droid.

Anakin: Obi Wan… I sense the Dark Side in her growing strong.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (Pauses, taking out light saber)

Obi Wan: It's been nice knowing you Anakin.

################

Vigil gazed out to his room of mirrors, each holding a portal to another dimension. He chuckled as he noticed the mirror with Claire chasing Soltaria around with her light saber.

"Much like her father, she is. Yes?"

Vigil nodded solemnly to the glowing image of Yoda. "I see you have found a way through the Force to access my dimension."

"Tricky it was, but found it at last, I did," Yoda smiled.

"Her father would be proud to see her so happy for once."

Yoda nodded in agreement. "Loved her, he did. But now a threat, approaching it is. Massive and Destructive." Yoda turned to ask Vigil, "Vigil, helping us, would you be?"

Vigil sighed wearily as he gazed at the girl from another world. "I wish I could, Yoda. But as one who oversees the dimensions and travels around them, I'm not allowed to intervene unless the time calls for it."

Yoda gazed at the sorrowful eyes of the glowing blue entity floating before him. He sighed heavily. "Tragic and unfortunate, his death was. But if you let fear of hurt control your will... Then letting down your son and his child, you would be."

The Jedi Sage disappeared, leaving Vigil gazing at the child of his son- the very same son whom he had cherished before letting him journey on his own across the many dimensions; the very same son who he tried to teach, only to see him angered and betrayed by his choice of actions.

"Claire Aschlock… how unpredictable and dangerous, your fate has become."

################

The following day, we departed for Rex's drop ship after explaining to Cut and his family what happened. Initially, Obi Wan and Anakin were suspicious about Cut's identity, and they might have actually guessed it right, if I didn't lie to them about his true identity.

"Claire, why did you tell them that that strange guy was third distant cousin from her second aunt in this dimension?" Soltaria asked as we trekked through the forest.

"Because Rex and I promised to keep his identity a secret. Consider it your punishment for that trick you pulled on Rex."

Soltaria's eyes beamed. "You mean you forgive me?"

I tapped my chin. "Hmmm… not really. Unless…"

I eyed her with a sly smile. "Unless you destroy all of those baby and kiddy pictures of me you have in your hand phone."

Soltaria shot a horrified gape at me. "All of it?"

"All of it."

She sighed; her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine…"

Artoo beeped, nudging my leg again in glee as I patted his head.

"Sir, how did you find us?" Rex asked Anakin, who jerked his thumbs to Obi Wan who told him, "Well we have a very interesting story for that."

"It's a long way to the drop ship anyway."

##########(Flashback)############

"Nice scary Trees… nice scary trees…" Soltaria mumbled nervously to herself, shivering as the cold wind blew against her skin. Under the moonlight, Obi Wan cast his eyes to the shivering Soltaria, and turned to Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo.

"Perhaps we should camp here for the time being," He suggested.

Unnerved by the idea, Soltaria quickly stride ahead of them. Ahsoka walked along her side, with Artoo whirring, a little spooked. As they walked, Soltaria suddenly shrieked.

"Something just poked me! Get it off! Get it off!"

Ahsoka inspected the object behind Soltaria's neck and said, "Soltaria, it's just a tree branch."

"Oh… I knew that."

Cody sighed. "Honestly, how did you ever survive in life?"

"It's not my fault I'm claustrophobic and afraid of the dark!"

All of a sudden, the shadow popped up from the trees behind and sped past them. Soltaria screamed in terror as the shadow brushed past her. Obi Wan whipped to the side, catching a glimpse of another shadow escaping to the bushes on the right.

"Stop him!" Obi Wan yelled. With Obi Wan leading from the front he chased after the shadow through the thick forests.

"AH! Ow! Trees! Ow! Curse you branches! Ow!" Soltaria winced at the pricking and scratches from running through the dense forest. Obi Wan eventually caught up with the shadow at a small cliff. In order to stop him, he raised his hand to Force-Hold the shadow. Out of the blue, Soltaria barged from the thick bushes and knocked onto Obi Wan's back, causing his hand to jerk and Force-Push the shadow down the cliff.

"AAAAAHHHH!" The shadow screamed before falling splat below the cliff. Soltaria and Obi Wan stared in horror of what they had done.

"Oh my God! You killed him!" Soltaria half-shrieked.

"Wha- No! You pushed me! And then I-"

"You killed him!"

Obi Wan was about to protest when they heard groaning. Upon reaching the edge of the cliff, they found Anakin sitting up in a pool of mud. Obi Wan was surprised. "Anakin?"

All of a sudden, Ahsoka rushed into the scene, accidentally knocking into Obi Wan and Soltaria. Not watching where they were going, Cody slammed into Ahsoka, followed by Artoo slamming at his thigh. The collision sent Obi Wan and Soltaria falling into the mud pool, colliding head to head with Anakin. Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo stared at the muddy trio in surprise.

"Sky Guy?"

Anakin, prostrate on the ground, groaned and gazed up to return a surprised look. "Snips?"

"General Skywalker?"

"Cody?"

Artoo beeped.

"Artoo?"

"Ahsoka!" Soltaria whined.

"Soltaria?"

She grinned. "Annie!"

"Ahsoka… Cody…" Obi Wan growled in slight frustration.

"Obi Wan?"

"Anakin."

"Soltaria!" Soltaria randomly shouted out, raising her mud-caked fists in the air. Everyone blinked, staring at the random purple-haired, bespectacled girl. She was about to exclaim into the name game again when Cody cut in.

"Not. Another. Word."

##########(End Flashback)############

I was stifling my laughter throughout the story, burying my face against Rex's shoulder and slapping my knees. Failing to remain unfazed, Rex sniggered discreetly while Obi Wan, Soltaria and Anakin stared at us crossly.

"Pfft… Okay. I'm done. I'm done," I said in between dying laughters. But after while I burst out laughing again, thinking of the part where Obi Wan sent Anakin landing face first into the mud. "Are you done?" Anakin grudgingly asked.

"Yeah, we haven't got to the part where we found you," Soltaria added, some what embarrassed by me laughing.

"Fine, carry on," I said.

##########(Flashback, again)############

The group had spotted a barn house from afar after the whole forest trip resulted in Soltaria, Obi Wan and Anakin completely drenched in mud and earth. Their boots sloshed along the ground as they walked through the field of crops.

"So you were after Cad Bane?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah, the blue monkey-lizard gave the slip after someone shot our starfighters down."

"Who would try and attack Bane in the middle of nowhere?"

"He is a bounty hunter," Anakin mused. "With lots of enemies everywhere."

"Maybe that bald wicked witch of the east did it?" Soltaria suggested. "She _did _admit that she was after Claire-Bear."

Cody reloaded his gun, musing, "So she took him down for fear of competition?"

"It's possible, considering that Bane works for his own benefit and doesn't care about sides," Obi Wan said. "Although we shouldn't be too certain. It could be another Separatist plot."

"Works for me, but can we find some place to shower. I haven't cleaned myself for like hours!"

Just then, two little kids popped out from the cornfield, running into a mud-covered Soltaria. The Twi'lek kids stared at Soltaria in horror and then screamed. Soltaria screamed back in surprise, and the three of them seemed to be having a screaming competition with each of them screaming louder and louder before running off in the opposite direction. Soltaria ran to Obi Wan, hugging him in fear. Obi Wan blinked, staring down at a trembling Soltaria before clearing his throat.

"Soltaria, do you mind?"

She paused, and looked up, staring at narrowed bluish gray eyes.

"Wow, you have very nice eyes," She muttered. Everyone squirmed uncomfortably under the awkward silence. Obi Wan yet again cleared his throat nervously. "Right then, let's continue."

"Yeah, phew. For a minute I thought those little monsters wanted to eat me."

"Oh come on Soltaria! Those kids aren't scary at all!" Anakin complained.

Soltaria glared at him. "Well since you're so macho and brave, lead the way then, Annie!"

"And stop calling me that! I'm not ten years old!"

##########(End Flashback)############

"And that was when **someone** shot me in the butt!" Anakin growled at Rex's direction. "Sorry sir," Rex apologized, hiding a smug look under his helmet.

After trekking through some vegetation for hours, we finally reached the spot where the drop ship was hidden. "We're almost there, sir," Rex said, pushing through some branches and bushes.

However, everyone didn't expect the ship to be found by someone else first. There was Bane, leaning against the drop ship as if he owned it! Upon noticing me, he flashed a toothy smile, showing off his blood-chilling fangs.

"Took you all long enough."

Everyone either ignited their light sabers or aimed their blasters in his direction. Rex on the other hand would rather a machine gun at him if he could.

"Why the hell are you here, Hutt-Slime?" He growled.

"Just making sure that your ship is working," He casually walked towards me, tracing my jaw line with his slender blue finger. "And that my little girl was not hurt."

Disgusted, I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!"

"Now, now, don't try to play hard to get," Bane lightly scolded, caressing my locks of hair, as he leaned closer to whispered into my ear. "I'm only doing this for your safety."

Rex butted in, shoving Bane away from me. "Don't you dare touch her! You sleazy slime ball!" He snarled protectively. "Make one move and I'll make you eat laser!"

My inner chibi swooned at Rex's heroic move. '_He loves me!_'

"Pity, because you'll need my help against a certain Separatist threat."

"Why should we trust you?" Ahsoka demanded.

"Because I know where the Emperor is making his next move, and what he plans to do about a certain doomsday weapon hidden there."

Reluctantly, everyone lowered his or her weapons. Soltaria was shocked. "We're just going to let him live?"

"As much as I hate to say this, Soltaria. He does know what is really going on," Obi Wan said.

"No offense, but I'm with Soltaria on this one," Anakin said.

"Ditto," Rex agreed bitterly. I would have agreed if Obi Wan did not cut in.

"If the weapon is as deadly as he described it to be, we would need to find out more about it. But what do you stand to gain from this?"

"Let's just say I have a score to settle with a certain assassin who double-crossed me," Bane replied dryly.

"Do we have to pay you?" I sarcastically asked. Bane glanced at me briefly, before replying with a smirk. "Actually, I'm in a mood for something more than cash."

I blushed madly in disbelief. Rex balled his fists up, pouncing on Bane to punch the daylights out of him. Rex and Bane would have put up more of a fight, but Cody and Anakin quickly intervened by pulling the two of them apart.

"You son of a- I'll kill you! You hear me? I'll KILL YOU! Let me at him!"

"Rex! Calm down!" Cody held back the struggling, enraged Clone Captain.

"Wow… Claire-Bear, your love triangle is epic!" Soltaria remarked as I stared at the fighting pair in even bigger disbelief.

"Guys! Break it up!" Ahsoka shouted. They only managed to calm down after a long half an hour of heavy breathing and glaring.

"Well then, I suppose we have a truce?" Obi Wan asked.

Anakin and Rex grumbled simultaneously, each having their own reason to dislike the decision. '_Who could blame them?_' I wondered. Grudgingly, I nodded. Despite my most secret desire to use Bane for a punching bag, I swallowed back my anger (and pride), holding my hand out to his.

"Truce?"

Bane smirked and shook my hand. "Truce."

Then he paused, feeling my hand with his, as if he noticed something particular about it. "You have very nice soft hands…"

Impulsively, Rex broke free from Cody's grasp and lunged at Bane again. I smacked my forehead again. Soltaria grinned at the others as she skipped to the drop ship.

"So does this mean I get to drive?"

Everyone stopped whatever he or she were doing and yelled simultaneously:

"**NO!**"

################

The Emperor approached the temple on Kalee with General Grievous and (Still random) Count Dooku by his side. The ruined temple was a sight to behold. A multitude of once grand towers and an entrance that led underground to the many wonders hidden away from the naked eye.

Just then, the holo-com beeped and the Emperor activated it to reveal a hologram transmission from Ventress. "Have you found the girl, my dear?"

"Unfortunately, the bounty hunter has her at the moment. I had a run-in with her dwindling friends… Including the _Jedi_," She hissed at the last word.

"Hmm… his betrayal was foreseen."

"What about Aschlock? Should I attempt another capture?"

The Emperor smiled evilly. "No need. Once Bane gives them the information they need, Claire will be skipping towards the ritual site in the temple. For now, make sure they reach Kalee."

Grievous stopped in his tracks momentarily, staring at the temple and the very ground of his home world. His mind drifted off to the memories of many victories gained in his life, along with the many battles he had battled.

Then he remembered a foolish wanderer who had traveled from afar. A being whose appearance derived from many different fighting styles around the galaxy, including some that he had never seen before. The man put on a brave fight, but like all others, he fell in combat against him.

Aschlock.

The name was driving him insane. How can there be another Aschlock here? Was the girl related to him in some way? Were they relatives? Siblings? Lovers?

Grievous hoped it wasn't the third option otherwise he would gag.

"YIPEEE! I CAN SEE MY SHIP FROM HERE!"

Grievous snapped out of his daze and jerked his head up to see a loony Dooku prancing on top of the temple like a mad bunny.

"Get down here, you old lunatic!" He yelled.

"You do not **order** me! I am your **Master** and you are my **SLAVE**!" Dooku sang out of pitch.

"General, please get Count Dooku down before he kills himself," The Emperor said nonchalantly, wiping the shiny long staff in his possession. Grievous grumbled and proceeded to climbing up the ruined walls Spiderman-like. '_When I get my hands on you… you'll wish that you had never called me your Slave!_'

################

"Are we there yet?" Soltaria whined.

Cody whipped around, glaring at her. "No, we are not. Can you please just keep quiet for one second?"

"But it's so boring here!"

"However about the silent game?" I suggested.

"No way! You ain't tricking me with th-

The sudden appearance of Mace's hologram quickly forced Soltaria to keep quiet and ducked behind Cody, who rolled his eyes. The hologram of Plo and Kit appeared right after.

[Obi Wan! I've been trying to contact you for hours! Where have you been?] Mace demanded, but paused upon noticing Bane. [And why is the bounty hunter doing here?]

"My apologies, Mace. But we needed his help in uncovering a separatist plot," Obi Wan explained.

[Claire! Long time no see!] Kit cheerfully greeted with his charming smile.

[Koh-To-Ya, Claire Aschlock.] Plo Koon greeted with a bow. I smiled back warmly. "Glad to know that you're all safe."

The chatter however just made room for more glaring between Rex and Bane, and I was squashed on a seat between them. Rex placed a protective arm around my shoulder, but I had a feeling Bane had a few tricks hidden under his sleeve.

"So what exactly does this temple hold?" Anakin asked.

"**The Terror of Dimensions**. A powerful battle cruiser ship that can travel through many dimensions, loaded with enough arsenal to wipe out planets and worlds. Although I must say that the odds are against us, since the Emperor has the map and the Ritual staff required for the summoning."

"Aren't we in deep doo-doo then?" Soltaria innocently murmured.

"Well, we just need to get to the ship and destroy it first right?" Ahsoka asked.

"Exactly."

I turned to meet his gaze, frowning. "You better not be lying."

"Relax, _Claire_." I shivered from the way my name rolled off his tongue, especially when I felt his hand over mine. "I'll _never_ lie to you."

Disgusted, I swatted his hand away from mine. "Down boy," Ahsoka joked.

Rex's grip around me tightened and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry Rex, I can handle him."

"But Claire-"

"Rex."

Rex reluctantly nodded, letting go of his grip on my shoulders. Just when I thought the battle of glares was over, Rex and Bane simultaneously placed their hands over mine. I sighed in defeat.

'_Boys… Why must they be so competitive?_'

"Claire-Bear, I pity you…" I turned around to find Soltaria patting my shoulder in comfort. "Erm, Soltaria, weren't you supposed to be hiding from Mace?"

Soltaria's face paled as the hologram of Mace bellowed, [Soltaria! What are you doing in the ship?!]

Everyone paused and stared as Soltaria flustered. "Oh, erm, Hi there Macey!"

[Don't you 'Hi There' me, Padawan! You're prohibited from any aircraft in-]

"What's that? Mace? You're… you're breaking up!" Soltaria crinkled a bag of potato chips (?!) at the transmitter's receiver.

"Soltaria! I can see you crinkling something to make it look like the connection's haywire! Now stop your nonsense and haul back to the Resolute ASAP!" Mace sure was living up to his reputation in the exploding volcano department.

"NEVER!" Soltaria shouted and ended the transmission. Everyone in the ship was staring at her, baffled. Everyone, except a furious Anakin.

"Nice going, Soltaria! You just turned yourself into a fugitive!"

"Oh just shut up and drive!" She yelled back, pushing Anakin off the driver's seat. "Or I'll drive for you!"

"NOOOO!" Anakin scrambled back to the seat and fought with Soltaria over the steering wheel. "I'm the better pilot here!"

"No, you're not! You're not even focusing on the road now!"

"That's because your big fat ponytail is blocking it!"

Soltaria growled menacingly. "You can talk about my bad driving skills, my attitude, my over-protectiveness for Claire-Bear…"

"It's Claire! CLAIRE!" I shouted, but was ignored as usual.

"But no one… No one messes with **MY** HAIRDO!" Enraged, Soltaria pounced on Anakin, pulling out handfuls of his hair.

"AAAHHH! MY HAIR! NOT MY BEAUTIFUL SEXY HAIR!" He screamed in agony.

With no one to pilot the ship, it began to fly off course, taking a nosedive into the empty space below. Poor Artoo was sent hurling to the front of the ship, hitting Obi Wan on back of his the head and knocking him out. As Cody went to secure Obi Wan, Ahsoka pulled Artoo back to the ground.

"Rex!" Cody yelled. "The ship!"

"I'm on it!" In a flash, Rex dived for the wheel and managed to steer the ship back on course. Unable to stand the squabbling duo, I stomped towards them and (to everyone's surprise) pushed the two of them apart.

"Will the two of you just… Shut UP!" There was so much anger in my voice, that I was sure it could set the whole ship aflame. Anakin and Soltaria gasped at my sudden angry appearance, as I jabbed a finger at them.

"Listen closely, **neither of you** are going to drive this drop ship. You'll not go near that wheel, speak of it, or touch it!"

"Erm… Claire?"

"Just drive, Rex." Not wanting to spark further conflict, he continued driving.

"If I hear one more squabble from the two of you… well, you better pray hard that there is a God for you up there to receive your souls. Because if you don't behave, I'll skewer** your** bones and dump **your** ashes into the sea."

Slowly, they backed up against the wall, as I stomped on the ground before them, glaring at their petrified eyes. "**Do. You. Understand?**" I seethed the words through my teeth, pissed off. Anakin and Soltaria nodded repeatedly, as I folded my arms, smiling innocently in a creepy way.

"Good."

As I returned to my seat, Bane whistled. "Feisty, indeed."

"Stuff it Bane."

################

Inside the temple, The Emperor managed to evade the traps with the help of the map that showed the secret routes to the ritual site. Grievous was ordered to bring a small army of droids and accompany Dooku instead of guarding the entrance, because the Emperor feared that the Count would do something rash.

_And here I am… reduced to a mere babysitter!_ Grievous thought grumpily.

Dooku who wandered around the temple like a little boy on his first trip to the museum, gaped in awe at the mural paintings on the wall. "Ooh…" Dooku cooed, playfully touching the mural paintings, accidentally pressing down a certain button on them. As a result, flying darts shot out from the bottom of the walls in front of them.

"How can there still be traps here if this is the safe route?" One of the droids asked, earning a fierce growl from Grievous.

"Vigil, I shrewd of him…" The Emperor snorted.

"WHEEEEEE!"

Everyone stared in disbelief when they looked up to find Dooku on the other side of the death trap. "How did you get there?" Grievous demanded.

Dooku simply shrugged and lifted his legs up and down to do the Can-Can. Feeling ridiculed the Emperor shook his head. "Unbelievable…"

################

"Here it is."

All of us stared at the insides of the temple in all of its glory. Mural paintings were painted all over the walls and the ceilings. Ancient statues of godly towering guards stood firm and regal at the entrance.

"Wow… that's huge," Ahsoka said.

"Yeah, and that cursed Emperor has the cheat sheet," I added.

"We'll have to split up and cover more ground, I guess."

Soltaria met Obi Wan's gaze with a serious expression. "Obi Wan. The minute we split, something bad always happens."

"But we have to get into that ship before the Emperor finds it."

"Yeah, and in every temple like this. There's bound to be booby traps that may even kill us if we're not too careful. And aren't you forgetting that not _all of us_ have Jedi Force Powers to dodge darts, bullets, flames and boulders like you?"

I frowned at Soltaria's mother hen excuses. "Soltaria, I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, and I trained her too," Bane added smugly.

"But did you forget that tiny part when we had difficulty tracking Claire-Bear down in the Force? I swear it was like connecting to the Internet with no wireless connection!"

I stared at her quizzically. "You couldn't detect me in the Force?"

"Duh! We had to resort to tracking Rex down! And I must say…" Soltaria eyed him with a sly smile. "He sure had a whole romantic honeymoon planned for you, Claire-Bear."

Rex blushed madly while I gaped at her. "Are you saying that I can hide my Force-Aura thingy from others all this time?"

"Yeah! So can you turn your Force 'Bluetooth' **on** next time you get lost?"

"Soltaria, that's not something that you can turn on like a switch," Ahsoka said, a huge sweat drop fell from her forehead.

"Cool! I have a camouflaging security system in my Force Signature!" I cheered.

Rex patted the towering door. "Looks sturdy, sir. I could try a grenade to break it open."

"No need for that, Rex!" Soltaria rolled up her sleeves and charged a ball of Force Energy in her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Since when did you become Ryu of Street Fighter?"

"Since now," Soltaria grinned, as Rex stepped away from the door. "**HADOKEN V2!**"

Thrusting her hands forward, the 'Hadoken' sped towards the door at lightning speed, colliding and seemingly burning the door. But after awhile, it dissipated and the door stood still, unscratched. Soltaria gasped. "I don't believe it! My Super Ball didn't work!"

Obi Wan's fingers trailed the door's brick-hard surface. "Not even a scratch."

Anakin grabbed Bane by the collar. "Tell us how to get through this door!" He ordered. "I only knew how to get here, not how to get in, _Skywalker_," Bane hissed back.

"Maybe you need some encouragement!" Anakin raised his hand to do his (soon to be famous) Force-Choke. Determined to know the truth, I read his mind and gasped.

"Anakin, stop! He's telling the truth!"

Anakin and Rex were surprised by my actions. "Are you sure, Claire?"

"Rex, as much as I had like to kill him myself," I grumbled. "He's not lying."

Much to his distaste, Anakin released Bane, who walked over to me with a cunning smile. "Thanks," He muttered.

"Whatever," I snapped. Ahsoka looked closely at the writings on the dusty gold plate behind the statue on the right. "Psst! Claire! Check this out!"

Curious, I walked briskly to the plate she was pointing to, noticing the strange engravings on it. "What do you think it means?" Ahsoka asked.

Peering closer at the gold plate, I read out loud.

To find my spoils and few surprises  
guess this riddle to enter inside

Ahsoka stared down at the riddle in disbelief. "What is the day for Ice Cream?"

Everyone gathered around us to look at the weird riddle. Obi Wan raised his fingers to his chin, thinking. "The answer to it might open the door."

"But what is the day for Ice Cream?" Soltaria asked.

"And what the heck _**is**_ an Ice Cream?"

I turned to Anakin in disbelief. "You never ate Ice Cream?"

"No, why?"

Cody turned to Ahsoka and I. "Ice Cream?"

"We ate them before back in Claire's world, remember? That cold yet sweet dessert?" Ahsoka said.

Anakin's eyes bulged. "You guys get to **eat** it?"

"Yeah, and it's so cute too. It comes in different flavors!" Ahsoka counted her fingers to list them down. "Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, Minty Chip..."

From the corners of my eye, I could tell Anakin was drooling. "I want one!" He whined. The riddle was really simple to solve, but everyone's excited guessing drowned my voice out. "Erm, guys! It's really easy-"

"Chocolate Monday!" Anakin cried out.

The door refused to budge.

"Vanilla Tuesday!" Ahsoka yelled.

"Strawberry Wednesday?" Cody asked. Rex blinked.

"What? It tasted good."

"Cookies & Cream Thursday!" Soltaria exclaimed.

The door didn't move at all.

"Ahhh… Pistachio? Yam? Raspberry ripple Friday?" Soltaria tried again.

But the door never once budged. "This is getting ridiculous."

"I don't see you helping out, _Hutt Slime_," Rex growled.

"You aren't even trying, _Clone_," Bane growled back. And so the two of them went back in their glaring competition. Anakin kicked the dust from the ground in fury. "Great, the Emperor's probably gloating at the Doomsday Ship, as we speak!"

Ahsoka grew crestfallen. "I'm sorry, Sky Guy. I failed you."

"It's not your fault, Snips."

"We're toast. Screwed. Dead-Meat!" Soltaria lamented.

I couldn't take the idiocy anymore.

"Oh for crying out loud! **SUNDAE**!"

At last, a loud click was heard behind the door and the heavy stone doors creaked open majestically. Everyone gaped as I walked to the door. "What?"

"How did you…"

"It's a riddle from my world," I simply replied. "Even six year olds can solve it."

Everyone shrugged and followed, entering deeper into the temple, while Anakin stood dumbstruck. "Am I… that dumb?"

"You noticed that until now?" Bane wondered aloud purposely.

I walked beside Rex, smiling at him. "Sure brings back memories, huh?"

"Yeah," He agreed, holding my hand warmly. I felt butterflies fluttering inside my stomach as his warmth wrapped around mine. Suddenly, I felt someone snake his arm around my waist, pulling me away from Rex. I didn't need to look up to recognize who it was. "Pardon the intrusion, but we have much to talk about," He whispered huskily.

"Do the words "**Don't touch me**" mean anything to you?" I hissed, pushing him away from me. He grabbed my arm possessively. "Not when that Clone is around."

"Hey! Leave her alone, You Hutt Slime!" Rex shoved Bane aside, bringing me to hide behind him. Bane snarled, his hand on his gun strapped in his holster. "I think it is _you_ who should leave."

'_Uh-Oh._' I glanced between the two guys nervously. "Erm... Rex? Bane?"

Rex was ready to take out his blaster, until Soltaria stepped in between them. "Oy! Save your guns for the bad guys later! We got to find that ship!"

Then, in the distance I noticed a statue that seemed too familiar.

"... Dad?"

################

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Whoo! Cliffhangers! Why is a statue of Claire's father doing in the temple? Will her secret origins be revealed? Is Bane truly serious about Claire and helping them? And what else would the gang find in the mysterious temple?!

Soltaria: Man! The suspense is killing me! (Munches on popcorn) Where's Anakin?

Anakin: X_X (RIP)

Claire: I won't even ask who did it. And Bane, stop flirting with me in front of Rex God dammit!

CB: I can't.

Claire: Why not?

CB: Because (smirks) I like you.

Claire: O_O

Soltaria: Ooh boy…

Claire: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX!

Rex: (Barges in with laser machine gun)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Anyways, please review and no flames! The more reviews, the better! Don't miss the climatic epic battles and jokes ahead for the two-part finale! XD (That's right, the finale is coming in two more chaps!)


	11. Behold thy jawdropping truth

**Chapter 11: Behold Thy Jaw-Dropping Truth**

_Entry log: Despite some problems and pick-ups during our journey, we managed to find the Temple in a planet called, Kalee (Aka Grievous' home world). Cad Bane may have joined our side, but I'm still having some doubts in trusting a sneaky guy like him. Worse, he keeps flirting with me in front of Rex and now they're arguing non-stop! ARGH! How are we all going to save the galaxy if there's still stupid love dispute? But that's not all… the gang and I discovered a statue of… my father?!_

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: First of all, I would like to thank all the readers who reviewed! And to **Legends in the sky** who insist that Anakin shouldn't be killed off (until the end of the whole darn fanfic), I shall at once revive him.

Grievous: And how do you propose to do that?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: (FFVII music plays) **Phoenix Down!**

Anakin: (Miraculously, rises from the dead) I'm alive! ALIIIIIVE~

Grievous: O_o

Emperor: I got to get one of those! (Suddenly gets cuffed by a pair of shiny handcuffs) What?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: You're unauthorized here!

Emperor: You think a pair of cuffs can hold **ME-** _The Emperor of the Empire_? (Attempts to break free with Force, only to get electrocuted)

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: HAHA! Those aren't ordinary cuffs! They're special cuffs that I got from Conruscant's black market!

[Commercial: Get exclusive Force-Cuffs: The best last resort weapon anyone can use against Jedi, Sith and any Force-Users! Only available for limited time, so order yours quickly in Coruscant! Prices may vary.]

Emperor: Defeated by an inferior product! Impossible!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx : Security!

(Numerous clone troopers rush in and arrested the Emperor)

Emperor: NOOOOOOooooooooo…

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Oh wells! Tsk, tsk, disclaimer time!

Ahsoka: Erm, Hikaru. All the characters have done the disclaimer.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Crud. Looks like I'll have to bring in a random character or two.

(Shaeeah and Jekk appear)

Shaeeah: Where's mummy and daddy?

Jekk: (Pretending to be some flying aircraft, then notices where he was) Huh?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Here's the deal, we're short on characters for the disclaimer. So hence I'm going to let you two do it.

Shaeeah & Jekk: You mean we're on Holo-TV?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Something like that. Here's the script.

Shaeeah & Jekk: (Beamed at each other) COOL!

Jekk: xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock.

Shaeeah: Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers. Also, she does not own any lyrics posted.

Everyone: AWWWWW!

Grievous: Humph! Typical.

xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx: (Glares at Grievous) Why can't you be like those two, Cute and nice?

################

"Dad?"

I stared at the golden statue of my father, in an armor that had symbols and style that I had never seen before. He was wielding a light saber and striking a warrior pose. Apparently, my long staring had also brought forth the attention of the others.

Obi Wan inspected the statue. "Interesting. Whoever this man was, he seemed to possess certain items from Kaleesh, Mandalorian and other cultures around the Outer Rim."

"Holy Spitz! What's Claire's Dad doing here?" Soltaria blurted aloud, causing heads to turn to my direction. I lowered my head in embarrassment as Rex asked in amazement, "He's your father?"

"Yes, and I'm clueless as you about how HE can be part of this world."

I peered closer at the light saber, noticing something peculiar. "Hey Rex! There's something written in Mandalorian here. Do you know what this means?" I asked, pointing to some odd carvings on the light saber. Rex wiped the dust away, took a closer look.

"It's a little rusty, but it looks like Asch… Aschlock."

His eyes widened along with mine, and not just because of the word's meanings. When I took another look at my light saber, the same carvings from the statue's light saber were written on the silver hilt.

'_And Grievous had this light saber…'_

Artoo beeped, nudging my leg and startling me out of my daze. Man! Artoo sometimes can be so quiet that I almost forgot that he had tagged along.

"I still say that whoever build this place is a serious nut job! I mean who puts a kiddy riddle for the entrance?"

"Claire." Worried, Rex placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"This is one of those my parent is actually a superhero moment, isn't it…" I chuckled nervously. Continuing deeper into the temple's passageway, murals were colorfully painted along the walls. The first picture depicted a baby and a blue tall man, who I instantly recognized as Vigil.

'_First Dad... and now Vigil… What on Earth is going on here? Did they know each other or something?_'

_I can't believe they have a temple to themselves! _I rolled my eyes at Anakin's thought, biting back a snappy remark.

"The murals seem to be depicting a story," Ahsoka said, observing certain murals. "This one shows a baby, the next shows a young guy and that one shows an adult."

"And it looks like someone else had time to doodle on them," Bane remarked offhandedly, referring to one mural where a fat red mustache was drawn across Vigil's face, while the young man had a big red diaper drawn messily on his butt. Artoo beeped in hiccups.

"Why do I have a feeling random Dooku has something to do with this?" Soltaria wondered aloud. I mashed my teeth together.

"I don't know what I want more- Clobbering the Emperor, or burning Dooku's butt!"

"Would you like me to do the honors?" Bane asked, somewhat agreeing. "He still owes me my pay."

"Not really, but I guess if you still got those special cuffs of yours, it might help," I couldn't help but grin a little sadistically. Everyone glanced from me to Bane, as he flashed a sinister grin. "I'm not sure how you know about my special cuffs, but I like your style."

Rex cleared his throat, grabbing me by the hand. "We should get going, Claire."

"Ooh… someone's jealous," Bane taunted.

Rex glared at Bane, electricity looked ready to spark off from their eyes. Artoo whistled at the scene, while I decided to intervene.

"Rex… Bane… " I growled, pushing the two of them apart. "Do I need to remind you two that we're on the **same** side?"

I snapped at Rex's direction, my eyes softening with a gentle expression. "Rex, you're better than this," I whispered. "Promise me you won't fight with him for now, ok?"

Rex stared, for a moment his mind seemed to be full of colorful hearts and rainbows. Not wanting to probe further, I snapped back at Bane's direction.

"And you! Behave please!"

"Gee, that's a little hard, considering that you're _this_ close to me," Bane leered.

Just then, a stone-hard creak was heard, causing everyone to turn his or her direction to Soltaria's foot on a depressed concrete platform.

"And you were the one who warned us about the traps…" Anakin said sarcastically.

'_Man, how ironic._'

The ground shook as if an earthquake was heading towards us. Well it wasn't exactly an earthquake. Nope, instead we got a huge titanic size boulder rolling towards us. "Oh Crap" was written on everyone's faces.

"RUUUUUUUN!" Soltaria screamed. While running for our lives, I couldn't help but exclaim:

"This is rip-off from Indiana Jones! I swear!"

###############

"There it is," the Emperor breathed at the incased doomsday battle cruiser. "Now all we need is the girl and we can-"

"Why are we waiting? Why are we waiting?" Dooku chanted childishly, playing with the droids' heads as if they are bongos. Ventress, who had just arrived from her failed mission, quickly approached the Emperor, bowing in respect.

"Master, I have returned as instructed," She said.

The Emperor was impressed. "You managed to venture through the temple unscathed?"

"Yes, my lord. There was secret passageway buried behind some bushes."

The Emperor kept his cool (and bruised ego in check) while the others just simply stared. Dooku on the other hand wouldn't stop irritating everyone with his out of pitch singing and whining.

"Dooku, if you don't shut up, I'll personally ensure that your life will be ended without a nice retirement!" The Emperor yelled. Grievous secretly couldn't agree more. Ventress froze. "Master, I sense something approaching…"

All of a sudden, a boulder barged through the Temple walls, bulldozing any unfortunate droids like bowling pins. Grievous and Ventress effortlessly dodged it. Before the boulder could hit the Emperor, he raised his hand at the boulder, stopping it in its deadly run with the Force. Soon, the Jedi and their allies emerged from the huge hole, along with its Descendant.

"How is it that everyone can make it into the temple unscathed without the map!" Grievous yelled in an outrage.

###############

"I wouldn't say everyone…" Obi Wan replied, glancing to Cody, who pried off a spike stuck on his armor before prying another spike off Anakin's butt. "Argh! Why must my butt always suffer?"

"Oh just shut up, Annie. It's only a flesh wound," Soltaria said.

"That's because while getting away from the boulder of doom, you used Cody and I to make a human bridge to cross a pit of spikes!"

"No offense to the both of you, but why didn't you just use your Force powers to stop the boulder in the first place?" Cody asked. That apparently shut Anakin and Soltaria up for the next few moments.

"Bane, such a disappointment you have become. What makes you so sure that you can help them?" The Emperor asked in mocked betrayal.

The bounty hunter raised his gun at the Emperor. "Cut the innocent act, Emperor. Your assassin tried to take me out! And _nobody_ messes with Cad Bane."

I watched the Emperor from the distance, as the boulder rolled aside like a toy ball under his control. With a deadly gaze, I confronted the Emperor, who held a strange staff in one hand.

"It's over Emperor, we're here to put an end to your plans!"

"That's my line!" Anakin whined, earning a slap to the head by Soltaria. Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Typical.

"You're too late, Claire! All I need is for you to commence with the ritual and it'll be over in a flash!" The Emperor cackled.

I raised a brow. "What makes you so sure that I'll follow what you say?"

The next second, the entire gang was flanked by droids, destroyer droids, Ventress and Grievous. What about Dooku? Don't ask.

"You ready for this?" I asked, turning to Rex with a grin.

He cocked his gun. "I was born ready."

In the next few moments, the whole room was a battlefield. It would give Halo a run for its money. Light sabers clashed between Ventress and Obi Wan; laser scorched walls and metals between Rex, Cody, Bane and the droids. Soltaria, Ahsoka and Anakin cleared out most of the droids in their old fashion style of slice and dice, while dealing with Dooku in his rampage of lightning and Force SPAM attacks. As for me, I was having a heart-to-heart talk with Grievous.

"Grievous, do you want that crazy old man to destroy everything? Including your home world?"

My light saber clashed with Grievous' multiple ones, the heat of the battle was evident in his eyes. "Speak for yourself, Aschlock! You betrayed me after all I have taught you!" He bellowed.

"Only because I wanted to put an end to this madness!" I pushed Grievous off and clashed with him once more. "And you! You have been bottling up your feelings and secrets endlessly! You never really told me anything!"

"You stole my light saber!"

"You mean the same one that belonged to my **father**?" I cried. Rage boiled up in my veins. Grievous stared, surprised.

"The human I defeated and took his honor back then… was your father?"

Now it was my turn to stare at Grievous, who looked away, gripping on tightly to his light sabers. "I thought I left him for dead…" He mumbled.

That one word triggered the sudden memory of his death by the fire. How I screamed, cried and wept for him at home alone. But how could he die twice? How could my father who I thought originated in my world, actually be from this world?

At that moment, I remember Vigil.

"Must I do everything myself?" The Emperor yelled, shooting out bolts of dark lightning at several directions, pinning my fellow allies down to the ground.

"Guys! No!" I cried, but was hoisted up in the air by Grievous.

"Grievous… don't…" I winced. "I know you're not like this…"

He didn't mutter a word, carrying me to the Emperor. He grinned menacingly at my paled face. "Now place the staff on the keyhole below and chant the incantations written on the ground."

"Don't do it…" Rex groaned.

"There were incantations?" I asked.

The Emperor sent another shock to the others, causing them to writhe in pain and agony. I felt weak at the sight of their pained faces, especially Rex's.

"Okay! I'll do it! Don't hurt them- well maybe, Anakin- but please don't hurt them!" I begged, relenting in defeat.

Anakin was shocked. "I can't take it anymore! Why, Claire? Why do you hate me so?"

"Revealing to you the truth would reveal spoilers of the future," I said, earning a blank look on his face. Accepting the staff and made my way to the keyhole on the ground, casting one final gaze at my friends.

"I'm sorry…" I mouthed.

With a thrust, the staff's end slammed into the keyhole. The incantations below my feet glowed, and I read them aloud.

_BY MY COMMAND  
UNLOCK THE WEAPON  
THAT SHALL BRING FORTH  
DEATH, NOT HEAVEN_

I waited for the rays of lights, the special effects and the creaking movement of the ancient doomsday ship. I waited for the screams of terror and apocalypse to befall upon us. But nothing happened.

"Maybe you need to hit it down harder?" One droid suggested.

Confused, I tried again and again and again. But it still didn't work.

"Put more strength in it!" Grievous grunted.

This made the Emperor most unhappy. "Give me that!" He ordered, pushing me roughly aside and freeing the others from his hold.

I smirked. "I guessed your plan epically failed."

"AAAAARGH!" The Emperor kicked the staff, pissed off.

"Oh well! Let's arrest them and go home!" Soltaria grinned.

Suddenly, the room was bathed in blinding blue light. And Lo and Behold, the ethereal being of Vigil floated before us all.

"I see you have all decided to invade my secret treasure room."

"Who is that?" Cody gaped, while Soltaria squealed in joy. "Oh my God! It's the Traveller, Vigil! KYAAAAH!"

"You built this place?" Ahsoka asked.

"Along with someone I had known for centuries."

"Good timing! Cuz I need to tell you that this place is real pathetic! The riddle is one thing, but how many cliché death traps did you have to put in one freaking temple?" Anakin complained.

"First of all, that riddle was suggested by my toddler son. And if I'm not wrong, I would say there were 1200 traps in total in this temple," Ahsoka's mouth almost dropped to the ground at that statement. "**1200**?"

"I was bested by a toddler?" Bane secretly snickered at Anakin's outburst.

"Of course, I had to take all necessary precautions to make sure the weapon would be safe."

"Yeah, but looked where it got to us now?" Anakin smartly remarked, earning a second smack down from Soltaria. "Will you be quiet and stop insulting the great Vigil?"

Vigil looked down upon us, turning to me. "And welcome back, Claire Aschlock," He smiled warmly.

"How did you know my Dad?" I asked him, awed by his grand appearance.

"Oh for crying out loud! Are you that oblivious woman?" Dooku randomly yelled, but stopped when he recognized Soltaria and I. "Grand Nieces! You have come back to visit me!"

Vigil smiled, approaching me in his floating form. He patted my head softly, gazing at me lovingly. I stared at him.

"You're…"

"Yes, he is my son," Vigil told me. "And you, are my grand daughter."

Everyone's jaws dropped at the sentence, but I was too dazed to care about that. "He's her grandpa?" Ahsoka gasped. "Who knew?" Rex said.

Vigil sadly caressed my cheek. "Your father… he was a difficult man born amidst the war in this world. I took him into my home, hoping that he had find peace in his heart. But alas, he walked down the path of carnage. I exiled him in hopes that he would find peace, but instead he began to seek out masters to hone his skills."

Vigil gave a smile to Obi Wan. "Jedi Master Yoda was one of them, along with a Kaleesh female mercenary by the name of Ronderu."

Grievous stood still at his beloved's name. My eyes softened at his pitiful pained state.

"He left each master every time they said that he was not ready for the more powerful skills. Your Father prided himself for his power and let his ego overtake his judgment in battle. And that caused his downfall in the hands of Grievous."

Everyone's attention turned to Grievous. Some of shock, while others of typical expectance.

"What happened to him after that?" I asked.

"Your Grandfather sent him to Earth and stripped him of his powers," The Emperor cruelly interrupted, poison laced in every of his words as he continued with a cold smile, "Vigil was a poor thing. His son swore never to forgive him after that!"

"True, but during his time on Earth…" Vigil smiled warmly at a memory. "He fell in love with a wonderful woman and matured."

"Bah! Love!" The Emperor spat.

"Nobody asked for your opinion!" Soltaria yelled, then squealed when Vigil gave a nod of gratitude.

"Eventually… they married despite certain circumstances. Then you came along with your compassionate heart and kind smile."

"Enter cute Claire-Bear!" Soltaria squealed, showing off pictures of kiddy me in her hand phone to everyone in the room. I covered my face in total embarrassment as Artoo beeped bubbly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Vigil cast his eyes to the floor.

"Simple because he was afraid that you would hate him for not saving your parents when he had the chance to!" The Emperor cackled.

"You had better clog that mouth of yours," Rex threatened.

"You think you can defeat me? The all supreme Emperor?"

"Actually with the help of everyone else who hates your ego," I cracked my knuckles and then my neck side to side. "Yes."

Almost everyone guffawed when the Emperor looked like as if I had just told him that he was an old hippo in the stages of menopause. I looked back to Vigil in concern. Hints of sadness were evident in his glowing eyes of white. Sure, I should be mad at him that he, a godly being with thunderous-epic powers enough to turn worlds into loony bins or raise Godzilla from the dead, decided not to use it to save my parents from their deaths. But when I looked at his lonely sad stick-thin figure, and wrinkled sad face, I felt my insides struck to the core. I closed my eyes to listen into his thoughts. When I looked into Vigil's mind, all I could hear were the sorrowful regrets and painful happy memories of his times with my Dad. I saw how happiness washed over his face when my parents held me in their arms. I tasted the wet tears that fell like rain to the crying earth, when my father died in that fateful fire incident. In that same memory, I smelled rain during the days of my mother's depression. I felt his anguish when he saw me weeping over my Mum's deathbed in the hospital after she suffered a heart attack. All these memories… they connected to me in one way or another. In the final memory, I saw him standing alone whilst watching over me, unable to reach out to me until that one day when I was drifting apart from the real world.

Was this why so many feared loneliness? Because they were afraid of dying alone with no one beside you? No one to laugh, cry or tell you I love you?

That very thought made me want to cry. Out of the blue, I remembered my father's words.

'_I have made many mistakes, and I have regretted not correcting them… But for you Claire, it's not too late… to make a difference._'

Right then, I smiled at fulfilling that last wish of his, which he had told no one, except me.

"I would never hate you."

Vigil stared, gasping as a small tender smile crept its way to my face.

"And I think- No- I **know**, that my father would never truly hate you. Because he told me once… that he had long forgiven you." I told him softly.

So I gave my grandfather one last present: A warm and loving hug.

"I love you Grandpa. And I always will."

Soltaria sniffed. "Aw man! I think I'm going to cccrrry!" She wailed, weeping on Obi Wan's shoulder. Astonished, all poor Obi could do was comfort the shaking shoulder's of Soltaria. Ahsoka wiped a small tear away, while turning around to hear Cody sniffling. "Cody? Are you crying?"

Rex stared at his brother-in-arms, who miserably failed to hide his hiccups under the helmet. "No," His voice cracked.

"By the Force, I thought you would never shed a tear!" Rex said. Anakin's controlled crying soon followed after Cody's miraculous crying. Artoo whirred and clicked, beeping as he nudged everyone legs in comfort.

"I must not cry. I must not cry… I must not…"

"Anakin, just drop the Macho act," I told him.

"But I-"

"Sky Guy, it's okay to cry sometimes," Ahsoka agreed. Artoo's cute little puppy beep hit Anakin right in the weak spot.

"Oh I can't take it anymore! I MUST CRY! WAAAAAHHH!" Anakin bawled.

"I want to cry with you guys too! BWAAAAAAAAHHH!" Dooku burst into tears, bawling like a baby as he hugged Anakin. Their united crying sent shivers down my spine.

"My lord, please! Stop this nonsense!" Grievous insisted.

"Oh come on, Slave, you know you want to cry too!"

Grievous' eye twitched at "Slave". "I rather shed blood than tears!"

"Not even for your Ronderu?" Bane taunted. Grievous froze, as if his heart was smashed into little tiny pieces. The next thing I knew, he was sitting in a corner, a dark depressing gloom casted over his head.

"That was mean, Bane," Ahsoka said.

Bane flipped his gun. "In case you haven't noticed, youngling. We're still in the middle of a fight here."

Eventually the whole cry your heart out episode ended with Soltaria's wail going high-pitched, shattering a glass-painted window in the vicinity.

"And that burned my wallet of millions," Vigil mumbled. I snickered, while wiping away any tears left in my eyes. I heard Vigil whispered a soft thank you, feeling something wet drip onto my shoulders. Looking over Vigil's shoulder to Rex, I casted a teary smile. In return, Rex gave me the thumbs up, and I could sense him smiling under his helmet.

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! **STOP CRYING**!"

Then it was back to the questionable ritual that failed miserably.

"Wow… wait to ruin the moment, Idiot Emperor," I piped in.

"Vigil! You old shrewd! What have you done to the supposed ritual that should have worked to unlock your doomsday weapon?" The Emperor demanded, jumping up and down in frustration.

"Of course it won't work! You only succeeded in beginning the ritual," Vigil replied calmly, with a boost of confidence.

"Vigil, what exactly does this ritual comprise of?" Obi Wan asked.

"Three trials between the two groups held in three different types of dimensional arenas," He said.

"That means it can be anything, anywhere," Rex said. I nodded in agreement.

"Players would be pulled out from the trials and observe their members on the sideline platform if they were to lose in any of the challenges. The number of players surviving after the three trials determines the winning group. Whoever wins can do whatever they like the Terror of Dimensions."

"But it's hardly a fair game! They outnumber us!"

Soltaria glared at dubious Dooku in disbelief. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"You may use your droids as additional members. Although, the first two challenges don't really consist of the need of all the players," Vigil informed us.

Anakin flexed his fingers. "I guess that means I'm the leader, while old kooky face is the leader of the evil Sith."

"Actually, I think we should have Claire as the leader," Obi Wan said. Anakin was horrified while I stared blankly at 'wise' Jedi. "Come again?"

"Since Claire is the Descendant of Vigil, she may know how to handle what we're up against. Plus, you seem to know more about us and how to combat against the Sith."

"I can't even lead my school's computer club to victory!" I told him.

"My point exactly! It's too much of a risk to hand in the leader position to a girl who has never led an army in her life?"

"I concur with Master Kenobi," Vigil said. I wanted to refuse, but Vigil told me, "I believe in you, Claire."

Soltaria and Ahsoka both grinned, placing a firm hand on my shoulders. "Lead us well, Claire!" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah! We'll be right behind you 100%!" Soltaria cheered. Before I could protest, the others joined in. "You can do it, kid," Cody said. Artoo beeped, ready set and go.

"Claire." A gun was thrown to my direction. I caught it, looking up to meet the gaze of Bane. I stared at the laser rifle in my hands. "You ok with this?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, smiling cryptically. "Just don't get us killed."

I grinned back, punching his shoulder playfully, and then turned to Rex who stood before me. He rubbed the back of his helmet reluctantly, staring down at my curious eyes.

"Claire, I'm not very sure about this," He said, and I felt crestfallen until he continued. "But you need to do what you have to do, so I'll stand by your side in the battlefield."

All of a sudden the pain and bruises from before were replaced by a new boost of euphoria. My inner chibi self was screaming "OMG! OMG!", jumping over the moon in ecstasy. I cocked the laser rifle and held the light saber in another hand. "You ready to bust some clankers?" I asked.

Rex grinned behind the visor, pulling out his blasters. "I was born ready."

"Make use of whatever you have in your power. Now the first challenge will be…"

################

_After the first challenge…_

"I can't believe you lost at DDR against Dooku!" Soltaria yelled at Obi Wan as they awaited the next challenge. "And you were the one who bested Anakin in the dance competition."

"I told you we shouldn't have sent him! But nooooo… you wanted to remain pig-headed stubborn!" Anakin grunted.

"What did you say?" Soltaria threatened him with her piercing eyes of doom.

"Technically it was Master Yoda who won," Obi wan flatly stated.

"Besides Soltaria, it wasn't his fault that Dooku cheated by using both his legs, hands and the Force to press all the step platform buttons," I added.

"Luckily Claire and Cody knew how to defeat the droids in that… what's that game?"

"Guitar Hero," I said. "And man, Cody!" I happily slapped his back. "I didn't know you were a master in the guitar!"

"I didn't even know what I was doing…"

"Whatever it is, you're the bomb! High five!" I raised my hand to Hi-Five him, but he just stared at my hand as if I was going to slap him. Prompting him with my hand, Cody reluctantly raised his hand and slapped mine in a Hi Five.

Rex laughed. "You seemed to enjoy it when you swung the guitar high in the air like a rock star and howled in a victory tune."

Artoo whirred, mimicking the FFVII victory tune that he had downloaded from my I-Pod. Rex laughed harder as Cody grumbled. "Thanks Rex. Thanks a lot."

"I felt lucky to be able to win Street Fighter for once," Soltaria grinned.

"What did you do?" Ahsoka asked, curious.

"I just spammed all the buttons and pictured the opponent as Annie."

Anakin was horrified and lamented, "Oh why do you all hate me so?"

"Why not?" Bane smirked.

"Well at least we all managed to survive…" I glanced to a sighing Obi Wan. "Except Obi wan…"

"And Artoo…" Ahsoka added. "He didn't have any fingers or limbs to play the games. Artoo beeped sadly, playing 'Beethoven's Symphony No.5'.

As much as I had like to pity Artoo, we were had to get ready for the next challenges. So everyone went back to discussing our next game plan. Meanwhile, Bane called me over because he needed to tell me something (much to Rex's chagrin). "Do you really intend on staying with them?" Bane asked.

I glanced to Rex and the others, as they laughed while Soltaria performed a shoryuken on Anakin's jaw. "Duh, what other choice do I have?"

Bane kept his gaze on me, folding his arms. "Come with me."

"Excuse me?"

"After this whole trial and stopping the Emperor… Become my partner in the mercenary operations. You and I, we're so much alike. We can roam wherever we want in the galaxy, do whatever we want, bust some 'bad guys', earn some extra credits and…"

"Bane…"

"We can work together, you and I! You won't have to be held back by anyone. I see potential in you, Claire Aschlock. You have what it takes! And for once, maybe, without anyone obstructing us…" Bane held my hand in his. "We can spend some quality time together."

I snatched my hand away from his vice-like grip, backing away. "Bane, I can't. I… I love Rex."

"I know."

I stared blankly. "Then why?"

He chuckled, my eyes softened at the sadness edged in his tone. "And so the cold-blooded kidnapper fell for the rambunctious hostage."

I glared. "Who are you calling rambunctious?" In a flash, I found myself staring at Bane's red piercing eyes. His face stopped inches away from my frozen shocked face. Pulling me into a fierce hug, he murmured into my ear huskily, "I love you, Claire Aschlock. Therefore, I'll spare your miserable life."

With that, Bane pulled me apart from the hug and walked away. I stared at the back of the bounty hunter. Maybe he wasn't such an asshole after all.

I blushed madly. '_Whoa… Awkward._'

"And the next challenge is…"

################

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Cliffy! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I added a cliffy! With one man (and droid) down, how will the team fare in the next trails? Will the Emperor's plan be stopped at last? And will Claire and Rex (Including an unexpected pairing) have a happily ever after?

Ahsoka: Poor Bane, he knew he would get jilted, so he told her his feelings first.

Soltaria: Gee… I might actually feel sorry for him!

Claire: Yeah. (Feels pity)

Rex: (Thunder clouds cast over him) Bane…

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: WARNING! JEALOUSY MAX LEVEL! WARNING!

Claire: Aah! Rex, don't take it to heart! I rejected him remember?

Rex: (Fuming)

Claire: (Sighes, then does the pledge sign) I promise to love Rex and only him till death does us part.

Rex: (Brightens up) Serious?

Claire: Yup! (Kisses Rex on the cheek) ^w^

Rex: (Rockets to the sky) YAHOOOOO! *//////*

Ahsoka: LOL! Rex's over the moon! XD

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Please review and no flames! The more reviews the better the epic finale will be! Don't miss the finale chapter! XD (I'll squeeze in a good ending if you guys review!)


	12. EPIC FINALE! XD

**Chapter 12: EPIC FINALE! XD**

_Entry log: I can't believe it! Vigil is my Grandfather! And my Dad was from the world of Star Wars! OMG! Back to serious business, the whole gang has to face off against the Emperor and his cronies to the ritual of three trials! Team with the most surviving members still in the game will win. But with Obi Wan and Artoo out, we got to figure out a way to defeat the Emperor, before he defeats us! And that's not all! Bane confessed to me his feelings and I rejected him for Rex. Will this sour our working relationship as a team?_

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Alright fellas, this is it! The big finale!

(Everyone: teary from the fact that it's finally ending.)

Soltaria: I'm going to miss the times we spent laughing and crying!

Ahsoka: I'll miss you guys! Claire, Soltaria, everyone…

Claire: I guess I'll miss those moments we share too…

Soltaria: TT^TT WAAAAH! CLAIRE-BEAR! Hold meeee! (The trio gets into a group hug)

Anakin: (Wails) And I'm going to miss all of my fans!

Bane: You have fans?

Anakin: O_O Of course I do!

Claire: Funny, cuz I remember that they liked you only when you get bossed around, mess up and etc.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: And a lot of them thought you were dumb in the fanfic.

Anakin: TT_TT

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Alright then folks! Let's roll in the disclaimer one last time for the fans!

(Everyone gathers): xXHiKaRi_ShIrOuXx does not own anything from star wars clone wars and whatever star wars franchise that exists, except her OC in this story- Claire Aschlock. Soltaria Levin belongs to a friend of hers.

Rex: PS- the following posted belongs to their respective owners: Lyrics, game titles and… **crossovers**?

Claire: O_o" That can't be good.

Anakin: What the hell is that?

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Find out in the story! XD

#############

"… Podracing!"

Anakin held a smug look, beaming with pride at the mention of his forte. I was actually relief that he wasn't Darth Vader _yet_. To be honest, everyone actually felt relieved and excited about the next challenge. Vigil was the only surprised one. Soltaria on the other hand was plain confused. "What's podracing?" Everyone stared at her, their shocked expressions read: "How can you not know what Podracing is?"

"It's like F1 racing. Only not with Louis Hamilton or real cars…"

"And absolutely dangerous." Vigil cut in, a warning look spread across his face. "Do you know how many people die in this sport?"

"Actually, after riding with Soltaria both on land and space… Podracing looks more like merry-go-round," Ahsoka replied.

"Hey!" Soltaria yelled, offended.

"No offense."

"And after getting shot at, kidnapped by Separatist forces and chased around by droids, this might be the best stress relief to have," I grinned.

Vigil shook his head with a sigh, muttering something about overzealous teenagers and adrenaline rushes. "Very well, you may choose three members to represent your team." With that, Vigil signed off, preparing the arena and Pod racer crafts. Worried, Rex turned at me as if I just said that I was going to jump off a cliff. "You do realize that you might get yourself killed."

"That's why I won't be participating in this one."

Rex was taken aback by surprise. "Really?"

"Sure, everyone should share the spotlight."

"Whatever, if you need me, I'll be on the sidelines watching," Bane snorted.

"I didn't say I was going to pick you," I snapped, tapping my chin, thinking deeply. "So I'll pick…"

"MEEEEEEE!" Anakin whined like a siren, stretching his hands out. He began waving it wildly in the air to catch my attention, desperate to be called. When I tried to ignore him, Obi Wan almost fell when Anakin jumped on top of him for extra height, forcing the older Jedi to piggyback the wailing 'Chosen One'. Obi Wan's face turned a shade of red in trying to lift the heavy Anakin. As his pitch went opera high, I rolled my eyes and sighed wearily.

"Fine, Anakin."

Anakin cheered, instantly jumping off a tired Obi Wan, who slumped onto the floor in defeat. Artoo nudged Obi Wan's leg, only to get a twitch in response. Cody quickly carried the worn out Obi Wan off to the nearest bench.

"Yes! I knew it! I knew you would choose me for my awesome piloting skills!"

"Sky guy, you need to lose some pounds," Ahsoka remarked upon seeing Cody fanning the Obi Wan. Anakin glared. "I'm not FAT! I train everyday from six in the morning to six at night!"

"You started at eight, Sir."

"Shut up, Rex-" Then his eyes widened briefly, pointing an accusing finger at Rex. "Oh great! Now you're my stalking schedule manager?"

Bane glanced at Anakin berating Rex down to the ground, turning around and shaking his head. "How was it that this man beat me in the last time, I'll never know."

Ignoring the complains, I continued, "Ahsoka…"

Ahsoka jab her arm in victory, enthusiastically hi-fiving with me before returning to her master's side. "Hmm, I guess you are alright."

Ahsoka raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Well considering that your piloting skills are so-so and mine are the best, I'm thinking that Claire might actually be making more sense, choosing someone that might be a tad lower than my caliber…"

"And finally, Soltaria."

Everyone (minus the severely weaken Obi Wan) gaped in horror as Soltaria squealed, glomped me and skipped over bubbly to the 'Dream Team'. Anakin was most infuriated.

"Are you insane? We **can't** put her in!"

"Why not?" I prompted him to snap back.

"Sorry, Claire, but with Soltaria on the team… our chances of winning are almost a complete zilch," Rex concurred.

"The Force knows how much lives will be lost in her wake of destruction," Cody murmured, agreeing that Soltaria equals to instant elimination. Depressed by the negative feedback, Soltaria retreated to a small corner and wrapped herself into a ball under a gloomy atmosphere.

"Rex," I called him over, whispering into his ear the game plan. Later, Rex eyed me for a second, with an interested glint in his eyes.

"Impressive."

I smugly smirked. "Told ya."

"What are you guys talking about?" Anakin demanded.

"Soltaria! You're in!"

As if God answered her prayers, she leaped into the sky, dancing the Caramelldansen dance. Ahsoka was surprised, but soon agreed after I whispered to her the game plan. "Ooh! That might actually work!"

Anakin was left bewildered as everyone gathered around for the game plan- involving Cody teaching Soltaria the controls. Seconds later, Anakin's ideal Dream Team was shattered.

#############

At the Podracing course…

"Alright everyone! Start your engines!"

Soltaria, Anakin, Ahsoka, Dooku, Grievous and Ventress readied their pod racers, igniting the purring engines at the starting line. The rest of us had settled ourselves in the holding room, provided with benches and multiple screens that had a camera on each racer.

"I can't believe that demolition queen has to join us," Anakin grumbled. I tapped onto the screen, starting a holo-transmission.

"Listen, Anakin. I know it's a risk, but you'll need Soltaria to clear the obstacles," I told him.

"But what if I ended up being spotted _as_ an obstacle?"

"That's why we told her to thrash the baddies first." With that, I signed off and went back to the benches with Rex, Cody, Artoo, Bane and Obi Wan, who finally woke up from his deep slumber.

"I felt like an Neebray manta just landed on me…" He drowsily moaned, holding his temple. (A/N: Neebray Mantas are like humungous whale-like space creatures. You can refer to the 'Shadow of Malevolence' Episode for them)

"_Set your engines…"_

"Good luck!" Ahsoka said.

"Same to you, Ahsoka! Let's bring the house down on them!" Soltaria excitedly grinned.

"_Get set…"_

"I'm doomed…" Anakin moaned.

"_**GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

Moments later, Vigil waved the flag down and everyone's podracer shot out. Dooku's podracer engine stalled in the beginning, but with a punch, the pod racer rocketed forward like the wind. Everyone on the benches watched intensely, as Anakin led the race, with Grievous on his tail. Ventress slammer her podracer against Ahsoka's own, attacking her aggressively. I was literally biting my nails until Soltaria barged in and shoved Ventress aside like bumper car.

"Get a move on, Ahsoka! I'll handle bald wicked Witch of the East!" She rebuked. Ventress growled and began her violent assault against Soltaria carnival bumper cars style. Meanwhile, Ahsoka fish-tailed her way out of the rocky Tatooine course, dodging every towering rock structure and driving through holes and loops along the course.

"WHOOO! GO AHSOKA!" We cheered.

Grievous and Anakin were still battling for the lead, clashing against each other in a heated bumper battle. Just then, out of the blue, Dooku shot out from nowhere and rocketed past them. For a second, I saw random Dooku give Anakin and Grievous the middle finger.

"In your FACE! SUCKERS!" He laughed madly as he drove off in the speed of light. They stared at Dooku's fleeting form, their faces had the "Oh you did not just did that" look. With a new opponent, Grievous and Anakin called in a brief truce to catch up with Dooku.

By the second lap, Dooku was leading the race, with Anakin and Grievous behind. Ventress was swiftly chasing after Ahsoka, while Soltaria still confused with the controls was actually driving without destroying something. I started the holo transmission again. "Erm, Soltaria? What are you doing? You should be destroying stuff by now!"

"Well sorry! I'm trying to focus on dodging rock towers here!" She shouted back. "Can't you go any faster then? We're about to lose to a cranky old man who forgets stuff every 10 seconds!"

Obi Wan tapped my shoulder, winking at me with an idea. "Pardon my intrusion, Soltaria but you're in the last place."

Soltaria froze on her seat. "What do you mean I'm last?"

"Dooku is leading with Anakin and Grievous in tow, so since Ventress and Ahsoka are in the front…"

Soltaria gritted her teeth. "That's it! Claire-Bear! Where are the missile launchers in this thing?"

"Soltaria, it's a podracer, not a fighter jet!" I told her.

"Curses! I'll just press this button then!" Upon landing her fist on the blue center button on her steering wheel, flames blasted from the engines in the pod racer and Soltaria was clinging onto her dear life. Her pod racer was looked nothing more than a speeding shooting star as she flew towards Ventress and Ahsoka, sending both of them crashing out of the course against rocky platforms. Smoke and fire rose from the cliff as Rex and I rushed towards the screen. My fire phobia was getting the better of me.

"Ahsoka! Oh my God! NO!"

"Kid!"

Ahsoka appeared in a flash of light on one of the benches beside us. She blinked, staring at us. "I… guess that means I'm out?"

"I don't think that man was heartless enough to let the contestants really die," Bane murmured. I shot him a scornful look. "Don't push your luck, Bane."

"Which means Ventress was kicked out too," Rex grinned.

I grinned at Rex in agreement. "And the witch has been slain!"

"But where's Soltaria?" We followed her gaze to the screen. Soltaria's pod racer was still speeding like the wind towards the three remaining pod racers. Before Anakin knew it, Soltaria had collided with him head on, flying past Grievous and Dooku. Pummeling to the unknown valley next to him, Anakin's scream echoed.

"SOOLTARIAAAAAAAAA!"

And so he joined us in another flash of light, complaining and whining. By then, Soltaria had reached the finishing line, halting as her pod racer came to a slow stop before crashing onto the ground. She ejected out of her seat and everyone cheered as she gasped at what just happened.

"Oh my God! I'm FIRST!" She exclaimed in joy.

With that, everyone was teleported to the temple ritual room. Our team (with the exception of a grumpy Anakin) went to congratulate Soltaria, patting her back and cheering. In her state of ecstasy, Soltaria ran towards Obi Wan, hugging and bouncing at the same time.

"Oh my God! Obi Wan did you see me? I won! I won!"

"Yes, yes, you did," Obi Wan smiled, hugging her back.

"What do you mean won? You almost killed Ahsoka and I!" Anakin yelled.

Obi Wan paused. "Anakin?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

A Cheshire cat grin formed on my lips as Soltaria blushed.

'_Obi Wan & Soltaria sitting on a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_' I giggled at the thought. Rex stared at me for a moment. "Are you actually… giggling?"

I snapped out of my daze. "Huh, what?"

"Oh my Goodness! You finally have your girly giggle!" Soltaria exclaimed.

I blushed madly. "W-Why are you saying that out loud?"

"Because you hardly ever get into girly stuff! I mean, you do what guys do! They don't show much emotion until they get close with someone!"

I blushed even harder, stepping away from a grinning Soltaria. "Y-Y-Y-You're spouting nonsense!" I stammered.

"Look!" She held out my arm, pressing the small contours on my arms to show everyone what little ounce of biceps there were. "You even grew muscles from all that working out at the gym! Are you trying to be buff like Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

Rex blinked. "Work out? In the gym?"

"Yeah! Ever since she got into the Resolute and see how you Clones train, she would be flipping the bar, lifting weights, run a few laps to build her stamina and be sweaty all over-"

"SOLTARIA!" Oh Hell, this was so embarrassing.

"And there was this one time, I caught a group of clone troopers spying on her working out! And the gym outfit she wears-"

"I never changed into anything revealing like whatever you're thinking!" I interrupted. Bane smirked, while Rex continued to stare at me in amazement.

"Hmm… Hot and Sweaty… nice image, now I'll make sure I add that to my most precious memories."

If looks could kill, Bane would be fried to the pits of hell. I glared at him, swinging kick below his belt, but he caught my leg with one single grip on my leg.

"Ah-ah-Ah, don't think I don't know that," Bane lightly scolded with a skeletal grin. I smirked and brought my other leg to hit him square on the jaw. I somersaulted, flipping behind with a ready stance to kick his butt once more. Bane wiped the green blood from his lips, smirking. "Not bad… You'll make a great partner."

"Like I said, Bane," I narrowed my eyes with a piercing glare, speaking lowly. "I'll never join you."

He laughed dryly and shrugged, implying 'Whatever', brushing past Rex's shoulder. "Careful Clone, she's a tough one."

But Rex didn't listen; he was still in a daze from the Soltaria's buff Claire-Bear theory. Cody had to punch him square in the face to wake him up.

"Stop daydreaming about making babies and get ready for the last challenge," Cody gruffly ordered. I almost threw up at the word "Babies". If there were a color redder than red, then that would be the shade of Rex's face under the helmet now.

"Contestants! Prepare for the final challenge!"

With four members out on our team, and some droids, along with Ventress out from the other team, the chances of us winning seemed to get slimmer and slimmer by the second. I prayed to whatever God above to let our last challenge be something that can bring salvation to us. Rex wrapped his fingers around mine, giving my hand a gentle squeeze to assure me that we'll face it without fear. I smiled, squeezing back in agreement. The Emperor smugly looked down on us, while Dooku made a fool of himself by singing out random songs. One of them being "Love Bug" by the Jonas Brothers.

"Now I'm SPEECHLESS~ Over the Edge and I'm BREATHLESS~"

Soltaria grabbed a can of coca cola that Vigil had earlier offered as refreshments, tossing it at Dooku and knocking a tooth out of his mouth.

"Put a sock in it!" She yelled.

But Dooku wasn't the only one acting out of character; Grievous was staring at me with his piercing amber reptilian eyes, watching me like a hawk. Just standing under the pressure of his gaze unnerved me.

"This time it will require all remaining team members to participate. Hence, the final challenge is…" Vigil paused for a long dramatic effect, but in truth, he stopped only because someone had decided to snore loudly during his naptime. Shooting a resentful look at the random Dooku, the Emperor personally slapped his head upside to wake him up.

"Vigil, please tell us that the challenge won't be something as stupid as the last one," He spoke scornfully.

"Not to worry, I found this challenge from one of my son's favourite collection from his time traveling adventures. I must say he had an interesting hobby to share with his children," Vigil replied with a cryptic smile. Distressed, Soltaria grabbed hold of my collar. "Claire-Bear! What does your Dad like to do?"

"Aah- I- we used to play video games and watch movies together when I was little," I replied, my speech faltered at Soltaria's sudden question.

"That can't be good. All the games I see you play always involved shooting or at least killing someone," Soltaria grimaced. I chuckled nervously as Bane eyed me for a second. "No wonder why your shooting skills were good."

"Oh Soltaria, it's not like her father would actually play some violent game when she was a child," Obi Wan said. The next thing everyone knew was that the background changed into a jungle. Anakin, Obi Wan, Ahsoka, Artoo and Ventress were teleported to a holding cell, supposedly safe from whatever danger that lies here. I surveyed the jungle area, and upon hearing Grievous' loud cursing, I knew the Emperor and his goons couldn't be too far off from here.

"**The challenge is simple,"** Vigil's booming voice began. **"Race to the pyramid and retrieve the Ritual Staff! Team with the survivor who survives the longest wins!"**

Everyone exchanged glances, knowing that they have to hurry before the Emperor finds it first. Minutes later we found ourselves wandering around the jungle like lost sheep. "It's like an endless maze here…" Cody muttered in awe.

Meanwhile, I was arguing with Soltaria about the directions. "I told you we should have turned left!" Soltaria insisted.

"No, you were the one who insisted on the other left!"

"Left!"

"Right!"

"Left, LEFT! I said **LEFT**!"

"So does anyone know where _exactly_ are we?" Rex asked, butting into our argument of misdirection.

"I've never since anything like this, but when there's a jungle," Bane said, readying his laser rifles. "There's always a few critters ready to make you their lunch."

"Oh yeah? Name one!" Soltaria challenged. Right on cue, hissing echoed from deep within the forest. I gulped, realizing where exactly we are.

"Rex, I think I got your answer."

#############

_In the Holding Room with many TVs…_

"I can't believe we're missing all the action there!" Anakin complained. Artoo beeped and whirred, earning a scornful look from Anakin. "Oh yeah? Well it's not easy when you're supposed to be the hero!"

Obi Wan surveyed the screens showing the two teams wandering around the forest. Brushing his beard he noticed Soltaria in the vicinity, and for some reason, began to worry for her safety.

"-ello! Earth to Obi Wan Kenobi!" Obi Wan snapped out of his daze, blinking. "Humph? I'm sorry did you say something?"

"Argh! I just told you that we're missing all the action here! Shouldn't we do something that can help us defeat the Emperor? Or at least take out Grievous?"

"Anakin, we're being held in a tightly-secured room with electric bars and force fields that disable our Force powers, how do you expect us to escape or help?"

"But it's not fair! They're getting all the attention and I haven't even flex my light saber chops-"

"THAT'S IT!" Ahsoka stomped her foot hard on the ground, surprising the Jedi and the R2 droid. She gritted her teeth together, pointing a finger at Anakin.

"Sky Guy! SIT!"

"But-"

"**Now,**" Her tone grew dangerous low.

Complying with her orders, Anakin obediently sat down, gulping nervously under her glare. "Right now, the others are trying their best to save the world even though they might be outnumbered and low on ammo. It's not just about who gets the ship or gets hailed as the hero! It's about saving the galaxy! Now shut up and pray to the Force that they will _win_ this!"

Anakin was speechless by his padawan standing up against him. He sat down, pondering her words.

_First Rex… and now Ahsoka… Why am I always seen as the bad guy here? _

Now everyone would know why a part of him turned to the Dark Side.

At the same time, a few of the droids suddenly came face to face with an unexpected visitor. After a long screech, the black creature pounced on them.

[Shoot it! Shoot it!] One of the droids commanded. But that caused the creature's green acidic blood to spill on them, causing them to corrode.

[I'm melting! I'm meeeltttiinngg…] Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen in horror

Artoo beeped in fear, as Ahsoka agreed. "Yeah, Artoo… they aren't alone in here anymore."

#############

"Claire-Bear, I know you respect your father and all, but I take back everything good that I had said about him!" Soltaria screamed as the black serpent like Xenomorphs chased us down the jungle to the pyramid. Rex, Cody, Bane and I were shooting at the Aliens while running. "How was I supposed to know that the game he introduced to me when I was _six_ was the future XBOX 360 edition of Aliens VS Predator!" I yelled back, at the same time shooting down another alien's head, spilling acidic green blood on the grass."

Soltaria shoved the aliens aside with Hadoken Force balls and multiple Force waves. "Gee, I don't know! Didn't you see the big **M** rating for violence _and_ gore?"

"He lied to me that the xenomorphs in the game were monster puppies that I can shoot!"

Soltaria was bewildered. "How can anyone compare such an ugly thing to a puppy?"

"Sue me, I was six."

Soon, we managed to escape the stampede of Xenomorphs by hiding in rock tunnel in the area. After catching a breather, we continued our journey through the dark tunnel. "That was a close one," Cody breathed in relief.

"Your father must have a love for carnage," Rex whispered to me through his teeth. "**Lots** of carnage."

"Well he was a warrior and fighter during his days in this world," I paused. "Hey, that means this is my original home!"

Rex was for a moment actually happy for once at the thought.

"Well miss know-it-all, do you happen to know any other critters we should be careful of?" Bane interrupted rudely as usual.

"Hmm, their offspring and the Queen- They can be a real pain in the ass, especially the face huggers that can leap from the egg and impregnate any living host with eggs," I explained with much enthusiasm.

Everyone froze for a second. "Is there a way to cure that?" Cody asked.

"Nope! Once it gets to you, you're better off dead."

"That's cruel!" Soltaria cried.

"Well yeah, because it's either you kill the host, or the baby inside will burst out of your-" My voice cut off at the sight before me. "Holy crap."

Droid parts were scattered all over the sticky floor, and the numerous eggs looked either forcefully removed or covered with burned laser bullet holes marked all over their surfaces. Most of all, the gigantic Alien Queen was lying motionless on the floor, acidic blood dripped from her lips, dried on the floor beneath her humongous slashed form.

"No wonder the aliens were in a hysteric killing spree…" Rex breathed.

"Yeah," I gulped. "Someone killed their Mama and I got a good feeling its either Grievous or the cranky Emperor."

Just then, the clashing of light saber was heard not too far away and the five of us ventured deeper into the tunnel to find Grievous battling with the all-so-awesome Predator! I stood there gaping in awe, as Grievous battled his AVP universe counterpart.

"Erm, Claire, we should sneak out while they're being occupied," Rex murmured. I frowned. "But it's **General** **Grievous versus Predator**! I had live for so long to see this!"

"Errr… guys?"

"If we don't escape now, then we won't be living long to see anything else," Bane hissed.

"Guys?"

I rolled my eyes. "What could possibly happen in the next second?"

"Erm, how about Cody getting kidnapped by another one of those big dudes?" Soltaria pointed out to Cody being dragged away by the mentioned predator, who activating his cloaking device to camouflage with the darkness.

"AAAAAAHHHH…" Was the last thing we heard from Cody, before a sickening crunch was heard in the distance. Trembling, I turned nervously to meet the skeptical stares of Rex, Soltaria and Bane. "Eheheh… Maybe we should get out of here." While the Warriors were distracted, we quickly decided to escape the scene. The Predator must have some honor policy of finishing one fight at a time, because he was totally distracted by Grievous as his worthy opponent. Finally after escaping from the cave, we finally found the pyramid.

"There's the staff!" I pointed out our glowing ticket of freedom floating idly on the very top of the pyramid.

"Wow, more climbing…" Soltaria groaned.

Soon, the sound of hissing was heard from below and the four of us started climbing really, really fast. Not just because of the swarms of salivating xenomorphs clawing up towards us, but also because from the corner of our eyes, the Emperor, along with Dooku and some droids were climbing up the pyramid. And he was a notch higher than us.

"Claire." I turned to see Soltaria and Bane stopping mid way to shoot or Force-Push down the droids and xenomorphs. "Soltaria! Bane! What are you doing?"

"We'll stall the aliens and droids to get you some time for the staff. You and Rex got to deal with the Emperor, Claire-Bear! You're our only chance now!" Soltaria yelled.

"But you-"

"Stop wasting time, Claire!" Bane shot another droid and threw a grenade down at the swarm of xenomorphs, causing a massive explosion. "Just get the job done!"

Biting my lip, I turned to Rex who stretched out his hand to me. "Claire! Give me your hand!"

With a hesitant nod, I took it. Rex pulled up on top of a side platform and we began our race up the pyramid against the Emperor and Dooku. But it's hard to ignore the fact that your teammates are risking their lives for you.

"One thunderous Force Clap!" Clapping her hands together, Soltaria brought down a humongous Force wave clashing down onto the swarm of xenomorphs. Upon looking down at the commotion, the Emperor ordered his droids to destroy the 'pests'. Cad Bane, however, was not known for being the most dangerous bounty hunter for nothing. Before the word "surrender" could be spoken, Bane flipped over to the platform and began shooting 360 degrees at all of the droids, decimating the few remaining droids with a bullet to the head each.

Upon reaching the top, of the pyramid, Rex and I came face to face with the Emperor and Dooku. Ordering the four droids left on his team, Rex and I took them down each with laser rifle shots and lightsaber slicing. It eventually came to the point where the Emperor and Dooku were fighting over the staff in a tug of war.

"Let go of it you-"

"IT'S MINE! MY TOY! MINE!" Dooku wailed.

Irritated beyond control, the Emperor sent Dooku flying with Force Lightning. My whole body was seized with fear as Dooku plunged to his demise with a goofy like laugh. The Emperor raised his hand, charging it with Dark Force lightning.

"Goodbye… Claire Aschlock," He cackled.

"Claire! NOOOOOO!"

In a flash, lightning shot out at unimaginable speed at my direction. Knowing there was no way I could dodge it, I squeezed my eyes shut, ready to be shocked with 1000 volts of electricity, but the impact didn't come. Slowly, I opened my eyes to discover why. Rain pelted down as I met those warm hazel eyes that I loved so much.

"Rex…" I whispered, too shocked as his helmet came off and he smiled warmly.

"Didn't I say… that I'd always… protect you?" With that Rex slumped to the ground in my arms.

"REX! NOOOO!" I cried, hugging him close, sobbing uncontrollably as he faded away. The Emperor laughed diabolically and raised his hand once more for another strike. In that one single moment, all the rage boiled inside me. I let out a battle cry, charging towards the Emperor with all of my strength, clashing lightsabers with him. Blue Versus Red. The Emperor was taken by surprise as I swung the lightsaber with skills that I thought I never had.

"You have great skill, Claire Aschlock!" The Emperor began. "I ask you once more to join me as an apprentice!"

"NEVER!" I cried, and with one final clash, a blast of Force Energy swept the Emperor off balance, and he lay on the ground flat. I placed my blade dangerously close to his neck, but instead of cowering, he laughed. "Come! Finish me and let the Darkness consume you!"

I glared at him, without thinking, I raised my light saber to plunge it at his wrinkled neck.

"FINISH ME!"

Lightning struck amidst the storm. With a battle cry, I brought down the light saber. And there was deadly silence. Everything was still for a moment and I saw Grievous battling his way through the swarm of Xenomorphs. He called me to stop, but in the end, the swarm of xenomorphs got to him, their rancid acid blood exiled him back to oblivion. The Emperor laid there, stunned upon noticing the lightsaber searing the spot on the ground, only mere inches away from his pale neck.

"Why?"

Deactivating my lightsaber, I hooked the weapon to my belt and picked up the staff. "You tried to mind control me into killing you out of rage, to join the Dark Side. You'll be defeated one day, but not this way," I said, shooting an emotionless stare at his eyes.

"Because you're not worth it."

Enraged, the Emperor leapt back to his feet and was about to charge towards me when a loud roar was heard. The Predator de-cloaked itself, standing before us without his mask, baring his four mandibles and formidable armor and wrist blades. The Predator eyed us for a moment, surveying whom to kill solemnly.

"Leave you filthy beast!" The Emperor ordered. Just before he could use his oh so formidable skills, the Emperor was soon struck from behind by any incredible Force Lightning and he fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

"Nobody strikes Count Dooku!" Dooku exclaimed and electrocuted the Emperor once more. Before he knew it, the Predator had lifted him up in the air.

"What are you doing? She's the warrior with the staff that defeated me in combat! Don't you warriors always go for the worthier prey?" The Emperor gasped, struggling to stop the brute.

"You see, Emperor, the Yautjas usually don't attack women, especially the ones who are defenseless. Since I have put down my weapons and wearing a skirt… I'm in the safe zone."

"What? But he saw us battle! Surely this brute would-"

"Actually, you were the one who attacked me first, especially when I wasn't armed yet. They don't really like men who don't treat women with respect," I smiled grimly. "By the way, did I forget to mention that the females dominate their species?"

"WHAAAAT?"

The Predator roared and threw the Emperor off the pyramid with all of his strength. The Emperor screamed in anger.

"Curse you sexist aliens!!!!"

In a flash, a ray of bright light engulfed everything.

#############

"-ear! Claire-Bear! You're alive!"

I opened my eyes, only to get caught in Soltaria's bone-crushing hug. Wheezing and gasping for breath, I struggled. "Thank goodness! Man, when I got attacked by that scary bug, I thought I was going to be toast!"

"Actually, you shot the bug and it sprayed its acid blood at me. Then in your panic, you pulled me down into the jaws of those disgusting pests," Bane scoffed.

"Whatever!" She released me and smiled. "I'm just glad that everything's alright."

Then I remembered Rex. "Rex! Is he ok?"

Two arms embraced me from behind around my shoulders and I looked up to meet my beloved captain safe and sound.

"You know, I don't die that easily," He smiled.

I hugged him back, taking off his helmet to shower his face with kisses of joy.

"Oooooh! Make out scene!" Soltaria giggled.

"Soltaria!" Obi Wan stepped forward, shaking Soltaria's shoulders with a worried expression. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"O-Obi, you were worried for me?"

Obi Wan sighed. "Of course I was worried. You almost got eaten alive by those things! I couldn't bear to imagine what would happen, if…" His voice trailed off as he gazed at Soltaria's curious lavender eyes.

"If what?"

"Never mind."

"Aww! You were worried for me! Come here!" Soltaria hugged Obi Wan and kissed him on the cheek in glee. If you put a tomato next to his face, Obi Wan's blushing would prove to be much, much redder. Anakin sniggered, along with Ahsoka, Cody and Artoo, who whirred happily upon seeing us back alive. Vigil gazed over us with a warm smile and announced, "And the winners have been decided to Claire Aschlock's team! May they put the Terror of Dimensions in good use!" He turned to me, asking, "Do you still wish to stay in this dimension?"

I met Rex's gaze, and turned to face Vigil, smiling. "Yes."

Vigil gazed at me for one last time, smiling. "Goodbye, my grand daughter."

I smiled back. "Goodbye… Grandpa."

With that, the blue ethereal Traveller disappeared.

"NOOOO!" Everyone spun around to find the Emperor jumping up and down on the floor, throwing a fit about losing.

Ahsoka smirked. "That's what happens when you mess with the good guys."

"Curse you all! Curse you! This is not over, I will get that staff from you and set loose the Terror of Dimensions!"

"Well, you wouldn't be able to, not when the Republic would destroy it and melt it into, oh I don't know…" I grinned. "Spare parts?"

Everyone laughed at the joke while the Emperor fumed. "Arrgh! Damn you, Aschlock!" Slamming his fist against the belly of the frozen ship, the sheer amount of Force power was felt in the room.

[Self-Destruction initiated in ten minutes.]

Everyone froze. "Erm, I think its time we bail," Soltaria said.

"Works for me!"

And so we ran off in the speed of light, the Emperor's cursing could be heard clearly ricocheting against the walls of the crumbling temple.

"_**Curse you meddling Republic dooooooooogs!"**_

#############

After managing to escape the cosmic death trap, we returned to the Resolute and received our most hearty congrats from everyone. Unfortunately, the Separatist Forces have slipped away from the Republic's fingertips. Yoda assured us however, that the Jedi and Republic Forces would do their best to end his reign.

Soltaria became a full-fledge Jedi and now fights alongside with a new master, since Yoda found Mace Windu unfit for the role. And dun-dun-dun! Her new master turned out to be none other than Obi Wan Kenobi! I'm betting that they are secretly dating as we speak, even though they are still in the shy stages…

Cody on the other hand probably dreaded the day for Soltaria to be under Obi Wan's command. For that would mean more starfighters to fix and more clones to heal. Anakin complained a lot at first, but was happy to be reunited safely with his beloved wife, Padme. (Okay, even I have to admit they were a cute couple.)

Bane had also given the slip, but before he left he told me the most absurd thing: swearing that he would never give up on me. Before I knew it, he kissed me on the cheek and flew off to some faraway planet! Can you believe this guy?

As for me, I was given a position to join in as a Jedi, but I insisted that I did not deserve such a role. I wanted to live life as I am. So Yoda gave me another proposition- the role of a Special Ops cadet. (You know, like how games like Halo always seem to have some special weapon like the Master Chief?) I was to help alongside both Jedi and Clones in missions, medic and stealth spy assignments. Rex almost fainted but the good news was that I wouldn't be breaking any of the rules of the Jedi Code! Isn't that sweet?

I guess you can call it a happily ever after for all. But for Rex and I, this ending couldn't get any sweeter…

"Erm, Claire?"

"Yes, Rex?"

Rex pursued his lips, before asking me the unexpected:

"Will you consider us getting married?"

I blinked, chuckling nervously. "Haha, Rex. Nice joke from the Soltaria mind-control episode."

My laughter died off when Rex continued to stare at me with his most serious face. Stunned, I stood there blinking, staring and gaping. "You're serious?"

Rex placed his hands on both my cheeks, smiling warmly. "Will you marry me?"

And it just keeps getting better and better.

How could I say no?

#############

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Finally! The last chapter is done! HOORAY! It's been an honor writing this story for all of you guys! :)

Claire: I guess she can say that.

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: I like to thank all of my family, friends, most loyal reviewers and God! Bless you all who have journeyed with me in my very own SW fanfics! ^w^

Ahsoka: I'll get the dress!

Anakin: I'll get the cake!

Soltaira: And I'll get ready to become the bridesmaid!

Claire: -///-" (Blushing madly)

Rex: (In happy land now) :)

Cody: Good job, Rex.

Obi Wan: I'm the pope again, I guess... -_-""

Claire: So when will you and Soltaria get married?

Obi Wan & Soltaria: O_O ?!?!??!!?!

xXHiKaRu_ShIrOuXx: Give your final reviews and I hope you enjoyed this story! Hikaru, signing out! PEACE! But for now… Hit it, Dooku! XD

(SW characters cheer and dance as Dooku goes DJ and plays funky techno music for everyone to dance the night away)


End file.
